Attack on Titan: First Flights (OC fanfiction )
by stargazerRuby
Summary: (OC is used) There's more to this world than meets the eye. Trust me, the world is VERY weird here. If you like that, I dare you to come and see the world through my eyes, Yuki Kurosaki, and the trouble I go through with my friends, Eren, Armin, and Mikasa. (Author: This is my idea of how it would play out with my OC in the story.)
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: The Disaster of _Dies Aries_

The really strange thing about being put into a tough situation is that it snaps everything into perspective, or sometimes into a different reality. Well, like right now, for instance-Slumped against a wall, I lay there, half-conscious, as my best friend is being picked on. Oh, yay, what fun, huh?

Oh, sorry, I need to put some more info out there. My name is Yuki Kurosaki, and I'm at least 8 or 9 years old right now. My best friend that I just mentioned? His name is Armin, and as far as I can remember, when I was 6, I've always lived with him. Before that, though, I had a real tough time with my family. I lived with a ton of mentors to keep up survival skills, until one day my parents left me stuck all alone in Shiganshina, the District that I live in.

I have two other friends that live within this district, too-you'll see them in a little bit. Back to the matter at hand:

"What did you say?" One of the bullies says.

"You heard me. I said I'm not going to fight!" Armin shoots back. "That would be stooping to a low level like you, and I'm not that kind of person!"

"Oh, really?" Another bully says, leaning closer towards him. "Why don't you say that again to my face?"

"Hold up-Looks like Eren's coming to 'save the day', again," the first one says, stopping the second. It's true, too: Eren, one of the other friends that I mentioned earlier, is running toward the three jerks, obviously ready to take them on. The other one, Mikasa, is only a couple inches away, basically chasing after him.

"So what?" He sneers. "We can take him in a fight, can't we?"

The third one audibly sucks in a breath as I regain consciousness. "Forget it, idiot! Mikasa's with him! Let's scram!"

The three of them dash off in fear. Slowly, as to make sure that they're really gone, I stand up: one of the bullies had knocked me down when they hit me, which resulted in me stuck on the ground and unconscious.

"Ha-ha, yes!" Eren fist-punches the air in triumph. "They were so scared of us, they ran away!"

"Er, yeah, one of you anyways," Armin says shakily. Mikasa doesn't say anything-she isn't much of a talker anyways.

"Yeah, sorry to rain on your parade, Eren, but I'm sure it was Mikasa they were scared of," I add to Armin's comment. "They seemed ready to take you on."

Eren sighs heavily. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Still, I like to imagine that they do because of me." He turns to Armin. "Are you okay, Armin?" He offers his hand.

Armin hesitates, then slowly rises to his feet. "I can get up on my own," he says.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. Let's just go, okay?"

"Okay, I guess…"

 _Aren't_ you _being as stubborn as Eren,_ I think to myself. Under normal circumstances, Eren can be very stubborn about his decisions, and personally, I'm worried that it might be his downfall one of these days. However, times do change, and so maybe he'll stop being so stubborn at times. I hope.

There's this little alcove near a river that we like to hang out at sometimes, and today we head over there as part of a usual routine. Things seem...off today, though, so I try hard to keep myself on guard at all times.

"Man, what jerks those guys are," Eren says disapprovingly, and I nod in agreement.

"They remind me of what happened to my parents," Mikasa shivers.

"They just give me the creeps. Go pick on someone your own size for once, you jerks!" I say.

Then Armin starts talking about the one thing we always think about: Our dream to be part of the Scouts.

"So...you talked to your parents about it, huh? What'd they say?"

Eren sighs. "As predicted, they weren't too hot on the idea of me joining the military."

"Neither was our grandfather, right, Yuki?"

"Yep," I say, nodding. "It seems like too much fun for me to pass it up, though I can see why he wasn't willing to let us go."

"Oh, by the way, Mikasa, thanks for ratting on me!" Eren says suddenly, shooting a glare at Mikasa.

"I don't remember you telling me to keep it a secret," she shoots back, giving him a look that could wither a plant.

"Still, Yuki's right. The walls were only built to keep _them_ out," Armin points out, startling us. "They have been standing for at least a century now, and I don't think that they'll be up for much longer."

"Just what the heck do you mean by that?" Eren asks.

"I mean that at some point, the walls could come crashing down," Armin replies, not looking at us. "It could be two weeks from now….or tomorrow, for all we know. Doesn't it feel that way?"

I'm about to reply when suddenly:

 _ **FWOOOOOM!**_

"Huh? What the heck was that?" I query in surprise. And then, as Armin is nowhere in sight: "Also, where'd Armin go?"

The three of us look around in shock until Eren points towards an alleyway. "Through there!" He calls out, heading in that direction. Mikasa and I follow him.

Out on the street, Armin stands there out in the middle, his mouth hanging open in shock.

"Armin?" Eren says worriedly. "Hey, Armin, are you okay?"

Not saying anything, he silently points towards Wall Maria, the one thing keeping apart from them. Our eyes follow to where he points. When I see what he's pointing at, I cover my mouth with my hands. _No!_ I want to scream. _This can't be real! It can't!_

"The walls have kept us safe for 100 years now," Armin stammers, quite as scared as I am. (I'll admit it, I am scared, okay? Jeez.) "I don't believe it! It's a Titan!"

Yes. A Titan, the one thing we are protected from. Ranging usually from 3 meters to 15 meters (Or, in this Titan's case, 60 meters approximately), these beasts will stop at nothing to eat us alive. And now, it's looking like disaster is just waiting for us. Oh, joy, what fun.

 _Kaboom!_

The sound of this colossal Titan (good name for it, actually) rings through my ears as I watch the wall be knocked down, leaving a very big hole, before he disappears. The wind that comes with it knocks a few people off their feet, and possibly hitting the side of the wall as well. Eren suddenly sprints off in the direction of his house, probably to check up on his mom or something. Mikasa chases after him, and though Armin tries to coax them to escape while we can, it proves useless, they still continue onwards anyways. Well, shoot.

"Darn. They're not listening," Armin says in disappointment. "Come on, Yuki, We've got to get out of here!" He adds, taking my hand.

"Wait!" I say, stopping him before he can run off. "What about those two? Can't we guarantee their safety?"

"Oh, shoot, you're right." He looks around and stops when he spots Hannes, one of the Garrison Regiment officers in this district. "I know! Let's coax him to help out."

As fast as we can, we sprint towards Hannes, who seems to be in some kind of shock. When we're close enough, he looks towards us and frowns.

"Are you kids okay?" He asks with worry.

"Please, you've got to help our friends," I plead. "It's very important!"

"What do you mean?" Hannes says, confused.

"Eren and Mikasa ran back to their house, and their mom is there too," Armin explains as quickly as he can. "I don't think we'll make it in time to stop them, can you please help?"

Hannes sighs. "All right, all right, I'll help you, but you two hurry. Those boats aren't going to wait for you."

"Yes, sir," I say, relieved. "Thank you-" That's all I get to say, as Armin drags me away very quickly. When he finally lets go, I run alongside him, hurrying inside Wall Maria. Before we even go towards the boats, however, Armin gets a second idea.

"Hey Yuki, how far can you fly?"

Yes, he did just say that. One second.

"Um, about halfway to Wall Rose before I have to stop and rest, all the way if I can coast on a current," I say, calculating it quickly. "Let me guess-you want me to fly all the way there."

"Yes." He hands me a bag. "Keep this with you as well. If you fly there, more people will be able to board the escape boats, you hear what I'm saying?"

"Oh, okay, I can see," I agree, nodding. "You stay safe, you hear? If I hear that you were killed, I will personally drag your dead body from wherever it is and kick it into next week."

"Okay. You too, Yuki."

He doesn't say anything else, just heads to the boat as fast as he can. Slinging the bag onto my back, I prepare to take off. A pair of blue-and-white wings shoot outwards from my back. Again, give me a minute. I break into a sprint to get some good wind, then leap into the air, my wings working powerfully as I ascend into the air.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Wall Rose-and some explaining

As I fly to Wall Rose, I guess I need to explain myself. Do forgive me - that'll take a minute.

Okay, so yes, I do have wings-I am a human/avian hybrid, and I am also female. My actual mom, I have never known, all I know is that I was adopted by some nice people who didn't have a child. The moment they did have a child, though, they left for Wall Sina-the innermost wall of our borders from the Titans, leaving me all alone. However, like I said before when I was 5 or 6, I ran into Armin, and the next thing I knew, he took me under his wing, so to speak.

At first, I was highly suspicious, because I was trained that way, but neither he nor his grandfather acted like they were to be mistrusted, and I got used to living with them. After that, I met Eren and Mikasa one day when I was out and about, minding my own business. I ran into them when I was in that little alcove I mentioned, relaxing. Eren had pushed me into the water (BTW, Armin was also there), just for fun, as a friendly hello. I got out after some struggling and shook out my wings. That's how I was discovered that I was a bird kid, but these guys didn't mind one bit. In fact, they embraced the fact that they had a different species of a friend, so I knew that I could trust them really well.

I should also mention that I was mentored A LOT. And, when I say A LOT, I really mean A LOT. From mentor to mentor, I developed a lot of survival and hand-to-hand combat skills, and I've kept them sharpened to this day. I always hated when they left, because most of them were nice, especially one called Dot Pixis. You'll hear more about him later.

I never used my wings until now, because it would frighten the citizens of Shiganshina waaaaay too badly. One of them would've had a heart attack. So, for the most part, I keep my wings hidden. I'm still able to fly pretty well, though.

Speaking of flying, I make it to Wall Rose just as the moon is ¼ of the way over the sky. Those currents sure helped. I can't go into Trost, though-that's way too risky. Instead, I land in a nearby tree, whose branches are just thick enough to sleep on. Just to be sure, though, that I don't fall out of the tree, I grab a rope that I found in the bag and tie it around me. Then, because I am _super_ lethargic, I fall into a deep sleep.

The next morning, I wake to hear the sounds of clamor coming in from Trost District. Startled, I almost fall off the tree, but my premonition helps me: I stay secured tightly. I sigh with relief. Then, I grab the bag and untie the rope that holds me, letting me drop to the ground safely. Knowing that I can't get into Trost by coming through the Wall this time, due to worried people stressing about the Titans. I sigh mentally. _Looks like I'll be coming in through the very corner of Trost. What more can I do?_ I think to myself. I fly over the wall and sort of float down into the corner, then break into a run towards the main section of town; I know that's where my friends will be. When I arrive, Mikasa, Eren, and Armin are already there in a group. I can tell because they stand out to me.

Armin is the first one to notice I made it safely. "Hi, Yuki! Glad you made it okay!" He says cheerfully.

"Yeah, well, those currents that I found certainly helped me get there," I say nonchalantly. "Good thing you guys made it safely, too, I would've been lonely for the rest of my life."

"Oh, jeepers," Eren sighs, "Now we're going to get it."

"Oh, I just remembered!" Armin holds out a small loaf of bread to me. Confused, I take it. "Grandpa got enough for all of us, even you. We're supposed to make it last the entire day, I heard."

"Ah, the rations, I assume?" I say, getting it now, as he passes out the rest to the others. "Well, considering how many survivors are out there, I'm guessing that they are trying to avoid famine, even if it is inevitable."

"Yeah, I guess so-" Armin gets cut off by a fight between Eren and another Garrison Regiment soldier.

"Ignorant little brat," The soldier spits at Eren. Quickly, Armin comes to his rescue.

"I'm sorry, sir," he says reassuringly. "My friend here is just a little hot tempered. We don't mean to cause any trouble with you."

The soldier only _tsks_ and walks off. Eren mutters a curse, making me flinch.

When he returns (not the soldier, Eren), I ask, "What was that about?"

"That darned soldier was going on about how we're just lowly peasants and don't deserve to live," he scoffs, obviously still heated about the situation. Then, suddenly, he tosses his rations back to Armin, who stumbles as he catches it.

"Eren, what are you trying to do? Starve?" He asks, starting to get nervous.

"I don't want to put up with their garbage, do you?" Eren retorted, his voice raising. "The only reason why they're treating us this way is because of what happened!"

"They're probably just as scared as we are of the Titans," Armin reasons with him, although his voice is raising, too. "None of this would've happened if that… Colossal Titan hadn't broken through, or that other one that just barreled through Wall Maria!"

"I DON'T CARE! Even if they're feeding us or not, I don't want to deal with all this. They could at least take that conversation somewhere else-"

Mikasa stops the argument by punching Eren in the face, which cuts him off and sends him down to the ground.

"Enough, Eren," she deadpans. "All this complaining and arguing is just getting you nowhere. We're all in a pretty crappy situation right now, not just you." She snatches the loaf of bread that Eren threw at Armin from, well, Armin, causing him to start again. I watch as she proceeds to shove the piece into Eren's mouth.

"Come on, you need to eat," she continues, not letting up. "The way you're acting is childish, so just cut it out."

Eren, who is unable to speak, tries not to show it, but I can see tears streaming down his face. I honestly don't know why or what he's crying for, but I don't push it.

Eventually, though, all this crazy stuff dies down, and for a while, we are our usual selves: Eren, being stubborn, Mikasa, not really saying much but still knowing she's a presence in our little group, Armin, being slightly timid about touchy subjects but still being sweet, and of course, yours truly: Yuki, the one who's way different but still finds a way to fit in as a strong character. Some things change, though, and those things make our dreams a reality, both in a good way and in a bad way. What do I mean? You'll see.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: The Early Warning Signs

The first signs that tell me that something's up was that all of us survivors-and some of the poorer residents of Trost-are all having to work in the farms due to a famine issue. While working in the farms is something I'd do willingly, the whole famine dealio just made it feel depressing and….yeah, just depressing. I mean, jeez, this stinks. When I mention this to Armin, he nods in agreement. "This is pretty horrible, huh?" He says, summing it all up in that single sentence.

"Yeah, it's shaken me," Mikasa says.

"They must think we need to be disciplined or something," Eren quips, annoyed.(it's best to leave him be when he's like this, even if you have a good point.) "And, even though there is famine lingering around here, they don't have to treat us like this. They to give us more respect!"

Nonetheless, no matter what time of day it is, what weather, or if you have a cramp, we lug on with this labor. This goes on for about three years or so (and for those who don't know, we'd be 12 by now), Until something even worse appears: The second warning sign. It appears like this:

Attention all survivors of the Shiganshina incident

who are 16 years of age or older:

All adults and teenagers 16 or older

who are eligible and fit must report to the HQ

to be part of retaking Shiganshina.

Please see Commander Erwin for more information.

.

Everywhere, flyers like this are spread around Trost, much to the point where you cannot ignore it, and boy it is annoying at first. Then the realization hits me: Armin's grandfather is eligible to be drafted, so to speak, so that means that if he failed, all of us in our group will be orphaned, basically. When that hits me, I actually have to lean against a wall for a moment from the shock. Armin already knows, though, so I don't say anything; just one look at my vacant eyes and he knows that I figured it out.

"Are you okay, Yuki? You look like you just got punched in the gut," Mikasa says when she sees me.

It takes me a moment to answer because I don't have my voice for a moment. Then: "Yeah, just fine, I just realized something that felt like a punch to the gut."

"Ah, that makes sense."

"Yuki, was it about Grandfather?" Armin queries. He already knows, he just wants confirmation. Slowly I nod weakly, not able to speak another word. "Craap. I thought that you wouldn't notice, but I guess not for long." He puts an arm around me as I shiver.

"I hope he'll be able to come back," I whisper.

"Me, too," Armin agrees. "I don't want him to leave."

Unfortunately for us, that hope gets crushed as we find out later that he was killed by the Titans, and while that may help stop the famine, it does not help with our grief from that knowledge. Ignorance is bliss, after all.

Armin can barely keep himself from crying, and I the same, as I've known him for a very long time, as though he was my own grandfather. I swear I try my hardest, but in the end, the tears win over, gosh-darned it.

"Darn it, it's just not fair," Eren fumes. "Is this all we are? Bait for the freaking Titans!? Seriously?" After calming down, he sits down next to Armin. "That does it," he decides quickly. "Next year, I'm going to join the Cadets and be part of the military."

Armin looks up suddenly, despite the tears in his eyes. "Me too," he says quietly.

"Wait, what?"

"Me too!" He says louder, more determined than before.

Before Eren can protest, I jump in. "This was our dream before, remember?" I say, shutting him up for the time being. "I am not going to let disappear before my eyes. No, I _will not_ let it go. I'm joining the Cadets for training whether you like it or not."

Mikasa sighs. "I guess I'm doing it, too," she says.

"H-hey, you guys, I don't want you tagging along because you think I'm dragging you into this," Eren says, flustered by the rest of us making that choice.

"I'm doing it out of my own will here," I retort.

"Everybody's doing it, so I might as well," Mikasa puts in. "Might be fun."

Eren ponders over this for a moment, then stands up again.

"Eren?" Armin asks.

After another brief pause, Eren nods. "Okay then, Tomorrow we'll sign up together," he says, being half-heartedly reluctant.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Military Training

That following year, after being signed up for the 104th Training Corps, of course, we are taken to the home base, where we will be training for at least three years according to the sign-up sheet that we had found. The covered wagon that we ride in to get there doesn't jostle around like you'd think it would. Why is that? Because the dirt roads are actually a lot more "paved" than you think. People go around and do maintenance on it every now and then, so as to cause less trouble. Well. Isn't that helpful.

We were also required to grab our uniforms _before_ we even got started, which is helpful but also kinda annoying, if you ask me. Don't get me wrong here-that idea is very efficient and helps with independence, but in all honesty, I'm sure it just takes up space while you wait for your first day in training and becomes kind of a nuisance. I can't complain too much, though, because the drill sergeant is very imitating, with those darkened eyes like he hasn't got much sleep and loud, rough voice. Yeesh, I don't want to upset this guy. He finishes his yelling at Armin and tells the row we're standing in to turn around, so we can see the rest of the Cadets, I guess. Through the next row on, he only selects a few Cadets that don't seem to have experienced what we have and yells at them, too.

A few names that are being yelled at stick in my mind: Connie Springer, Jean Kirstein, Annie Leonhart, etc. The list goes on and on. One of them, Sasha Blouse, gets caught with a hot potato, resulting in her having to run at least 5 miles for the day and have no food for five days. Five days! _She'll be able to survive it_ , I think, _but I don't think she's going to be the least bit happy for that time period._ Some of the people that didn't actually warm up to the idea of being a solider also end up leaving.

After all that crazy stuff, we're assigned to different cabins that will be our 'homey reside' for our training, if you can call it that. My cabin has a few different people than the ones I mentioned: there's me, Mikasa, Krista Lenz, Marco Bott, Reiner, Ymir, and a few others that I didn't really hear their names or I just don't remember.

Krista watches as Sasha runs slowly through her punishment, obviously already setting a bond with me as I watch, too. Then she sighs. "I don't know if the punishment was fair or not," she says to me, "But it just doesn't _seem_ fair to have her go without while we get food and stuff, you know?"

"Yeah, you're right," I agree, staring off into the distance. "If anything, we should try to help her out some."

Krista thinks this over. "Hmm...I Know! Why don't we get her some bread and water tonight, when she's done with this part of the punishment?" She says suddenly, grabbing my shoulder and making me start.

"...Won't we get in trouble too?" I say nervously. "Sure, it's a good idea, but shouldn't we be cautious?"

"Yeah, we'll be careful," she agrees, smiling mischievously. "Meet me after everyone else has gone to bed. There should be a good hiding place over here...at that bush, okay? Oh, by the way, what's your name? I didn't catch it."

"My name's Yuki Kurosaki. It sounds like a plan. Krista, right?"

"Yep."

"Okay, phew. I thought I had your name wrong."

Krista laughs. " _Touché,_ my friend, _Touché._ "

There is much talking and murmurs around the mess hall tonight. Apparently, Eren has been talking about the tragedy of Shiganshina and everyone is now intrigued enough to listen to it more. At least, that's what I presume is the whole deal here.

"I've already told you. Yes, I saw the big guy," Eren says, a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"Really? What was he like?" One Cadet says.

"There was very little skin, and he was very tall, maybe 60 meters at most? I'm not sure. Most of what he had for fat was mostly joints. The rest was mostly made of muscle."

"What about that tough skinned one? The Armored Titan?" Connie asks, intrigued.

"Oh, is that what they're calling it now? Yeah, I saw that too, but maybe only a glimpse of it. What're they calling the other one? The Colossal Titan, right?"

"I think so."

"What about the other Titans that came through?" Marco says, getting every detail he can. Unfortunately for him, that didn't turn out too well, as Eren is now a sickly green and appears to be avoiding throwing up to the best of his ability. Um, people, aren't you pushing his limits?

Connie seems to be thinking the same thing I am. Well, two great minds think alike "Uh, h-hey guys, let's just stop, okay? If he doesn't want to talk about it, then leave him alone."

"Nah, it's alright," Eren interjects, stopping Connie before he can say more. "I was just overwhelmed for a minute there from all those butt-ugly Titans." Here he laughs a little. "Besides, once we master the Omni-directional gear, there'll be no stopping us from eliminating them for good!"

"Well, aren't you quite enthusiastic," says a new voice. Jean Kirstein looks up from the table he sits at. "I'm not sure about that, though, so you might want to be careful how you word your dialogue here."

"Yeah, but what about that thing you said to the drill sergeant?" Eren shoots back, preparing for an all-out fight. "About you wanting to join the Military Police (MP)?"

"Hey, I'm just trying to be an honest guy," Jean says, standing up. From where this conversation is going, I'm sure they're going to be bitter rivals. "I'd rather be the best soldier and part of the MP than having to face Titans every. Single. Day."

"Yeah, whatever. All they get to do is lie around and live the comfortable life in the interior. They don't have to give a dang about the actual troubles in reality." Eren stands up as well and gets super close to Jean's face, challenging him. "I'd rather know that I'm sacrificing that duty for the greater good, for crying out loud. What do you say to that?"

They glare at each other for a minute, still challenging and still anticipating a fight. Thankfully, the bell that signifies that dinner is over rings, sparing anyone from getting hurt on the first day.

"I'm outta here," Eren mutters, stalking out the door. Mikasa goes to follow him, but Jean stops her for a minute. It's obvious to me that he likes her, but he fumbles with his words. The one thing he manages to say is "I think you have very pretty hair."

"Thanks." Mikasa's reply before she too basically stalks off. Jean runs out to catch her.

I sit there for a brief moment, trying to comprehend what the heck just happened, and then I walk out the door, still slightly shocked. I slowly wander back to my cabin, as a have an hour or two to spare before I go on the "Secret mission" with Krista. When I get back there, I take one of my books and read it for a while.

It takes me a minute after that to figure out that something is different. I look up to see Mikasa with her hair cut shorter. Okay, color me surprised here. As if I hadn't had enough to brood over.

"Mikasa? What happened to your hair?" I query, a little confused.  
She looks up from what she was doing. "Oh! Yuki!" She says, surprised. "Erm….Eren had told me I should cut it to avoid getting it stuck in the 3D maneuver gear. If he had seen your hair, he might've said the same thing."

"Say what?" I say, self-consciously touching my own hair. Sure enough, it had gotten longer without me even noticing. Well, shoot. "Yeah, I think he's right."

"Want me to help get your hair done?" She asks, holding up a pair of scissors.

"Heck yeah," I say, excited. "Thanks."

"How short?"

"Hm...Maybe a little bit above my shoulders, I think."

"Okay, I'll see what I can do."

Going along slowly, Mikasa starts to trim my hair down, as she dosesn't want to accidentally cut off one of my ears or something. About half an hour later, though, she finishes and sighs.

"Okay, It's all done," She says.

"Wow, it feels so much lighter. Thanks, Mikasa."

She smiles. "Anytime, Yuki."

Eventually, everyone does go to sleep, and that means I've got to meet Krista at that bush near our cabin. As quietly as I can, I tiptoe out the door, which is still open, and slip into the bushes. About a minute later, Krista comes along with a loaf of bread and a jug of water.

"Everything so far is going to plan," she whispers. "All we have to do now is wait for Sasha."

"Roger that," I whisper back.

It doesn't take long before Sasha comes into the light, clearly exhausted as heck, and collapses near the torch that hasn't been defused yet. I think she is trying to go to sleep.

"When do we go in, Krista?"

"Three, two, one….Now!" Is her reply. Slowly, we walk out to where Sasha is, but just as Krista starts to put down the items she carries, Sasha suddenly rushes us and snatches the bread as though she were a cheetah from the books I used to read. Her first words spoken to us are muffled, but the rest comes out as "...It's bread!"

"Woah, Sasha, You should probably get some water first," I comment on her behavior. "Aren't you parched from all that running?"

"Um, yeah, I have some water right here, you should take a drink first-" Krista starts, getting cut off by Sasha grabbing her and shaking her. Doing this, she also says, "Are you God or something? Are you?"

"What's going on here?" Says a different female voice from in the shadows. When the female figure walks out, instantly I can recognize her.

"Um, hi Ymir," I say as evenly as I can. "How's it going?"

"Fine. You're a smart girl to already know my name and I didn't even say anything of the sort," Ymir says, then turns to Krista. "Well? What's going on?"

"This girl needed help, so I decided to get her bread and water. Yuki was here to help me with the whole procedure," Krista says shakily, then more firmly, "I thought it was the right thing to do."

"It was her punishment, to begin with, so she probably doesn't need your help. She just needs to go through with it the hard way." Ymir then picks up Sasha.

"Uh, hold on there, didn't you just say she doesn't need our help or sympathy?"

I say, very confused.

"I did. I'm just helping her so she can owe me later. Catch you later." She walks off, Sasha in tow.

"Well, she isn't the cheeriest person in the world, but she can be sort of kind, if you know what she's like," I comment. "Okay, Krista, I think we've got to go to bed now."

"Okay," She nods, but then looks confused. "Um, Yuki?"

"Yes?"

"D-Did I just see a pair of wings? On _you_?"

"You found out?"

"I guess so." She shifts nervously. "Err, is it okay that I see them?"

"Sure, but don't tell anyone else, because I'm sure they'd kick me out."

"Oh, okay…"

Slowly, as to not startle her, I let out my blue-and-white wings, letting them fully relax in the cool night. Krista gasps when she sees them, mostly out of awe and less out of shock.

"W-woah…" She breathes.

"I know, cool, right?" I say, grinning.

"Heck yeah! So you can fly?"

"That sums it all up, yeah. I can fold them up pretty neatly along my spine, too, and that doesn't normally let someone see them. I guess right at that moment I was pretty careless and let them be visible." I shrug. "Maybe after this, I'll be able to use them more often, don't 'cha think?"

"Well, I hope so, that would be cool to see. C'mon, we've got to go to bed, remember?"

"Yeah, okay then."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: An aptitude test, so to speak

Waking up the next morning is as easy as trying to take down a Titan with your bare hands. I wake up in a cold sweat from the shock of a nightmare: Watching all my friends get eaten alive and then _myself_ being eaten, though I try to escape, wasn't easy to bear, believe me. As quickly and as silently as possible, I get myself dressed in my soldier's outfit, and start brushing my hair out very fast. Once that's done, I get outside to find no one else has gotten up. Yet. Well, shoot! What am I supposed to do?

That was my thought, but someone else comes out of the adjacent cabin. Turning around, I realize that it's Armin. Huh? That makes no sense; I thought everyone was asleep still! I panic a moment, then mentally slap myself in the face. _It's Armin, you idiot_ , I tell myself, _You shouldn't be worried. Besides, maybe he had trouble sleeping too._

Armin looks over and spots me. "Oh, hi, Yuki. I didn't know you were awake yet," He tells me.

"Ah ha ha, yeah. Actually, I'm surprised no one else is awake yet. I thought that they'd have a set time to wake up, early in the morning, you know?" I reply.

"Oh, jeez, yeah, I didn't think about that until now. Did you have a bad dream?"

"UGH. Yeah, I did. I'll spare you the details, let's just say that I dealt with Titans."

"Oh. My. GOSH! That's worse than mine."

"Really, then? What was your dream about?"

"Getting shot and slowly bleeding to death."

"ACK! No, that's worse."

"How?"

"Do you really want to be slowly dying or to just get it over with right off? I'd choose the latter."

"Me too. Good point." He looks back. "It looks like everyone else is awake now."

"Yeah, I guess so." Sighing, I look around. "Maybe we'll be able to talk later."

"Okay then." Armin walks back into his cabin, leaving me standing there all alone. And then some kind of realization hits me: _the aptitude tests. They're today,_ I think to myself. The tests are supposed to see if you can balance with accuracy so that you can use the 3D maneuver gear. Fail this test, and you'll most likely be kicked off the military for good. Now, that is terrifying. I don't want to be kicked off! I'd never see my friends again, for sure!

Once again, I mentally slap myself in the face for freaking out over a simple test _._ _OMG, Yuki, get a_ grip, I say to myself. _It's just a test_ , _you don't have to worry so much._ Sighing, I head back to my cabin as well, annoyed at myself for bringing upon me so much anxiety.

"Hiya, Yuki," Krista greets when I walk in. "Feeling nervous?"

"Sort of," I say. "Also annoyed at myself because I roused my anxiety over the test."

"Really?" She looks genuinely surprised.

"Yeah...not exactly the smartest thing I ever did."

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll do just fine." She grins.

"I hope so." Sighing, I turn to Mikasa, who has been silent as usual. "I know that you're usually silent, Mikasa, but you have that face on that tells me that you're brooding over something."

"Huh? What?" She meets my eyes. "Oh. Yeah, actually, over what you just said, ha-ha. It's so hard to tell if we'll manage. I also expect to see some boys telling us that we can't use that darn thing because we're _girls._ "

"Aw, what? No way, we can! I know we can!"

"I know, but I still expect it." She laughs. "If they do, though, expect you and me to take 'em down, okay?"

"Yeah, no one can tell us we can't." I smile.

"Well, _that's_ an evil grin," I hear from behind me. "I guess I shouldn't try to make you two angry."

"Never, ever make us angry, Eren," I say, turning around. "You know how girls can get-all hot headed and devilish."

Eren rolls his eyes at me. "Har-har," he says. "Ah, whatever, it doesn't matter now, anyway, we're all thinking about the test."

"No kidding! That's what's been worrying me all night! I doubt I even got a wink of sleep."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously." I give him a level stare. "Well, okay, fine. I had a nightmare that woke me up several times. And the crazy part about it is that it was the same dream."

"Whaaaat?" Mikasa's ever dark eyes widen slightly. This is how I tell she's quite surprised. By now Armin's joined in on this, but that is a minority at the moment.

"Yeah. Not a good experience," I reply, shaking my head. "Note to self: Tell subconscious to give me better dreams, and quickly."

Eren stifles a laugh, knowing I had just tried to make a funny joke.

"It's okay to laugh now," I comment. "There's no need to hide it."

"I know, but I don't think we'd want to be in trouble with that drill sergeant,"

Eren says.

"Oh, same."

We make it to the mess hall, somehow feeling jovial and also nervous at the same time, which is not very helpful for our test. Nothing new happens during breakfast, but during the test, things get interesting.

How you do ask? Let me explain for you.

Well, when we finish and got outside to the 'courtyard' area, there are these huge contraptions that definitely look unsafe, but then again, when you join the military here, who cares about safety? You're supposed to protect civilians.

Right, anyways, these contraptions are apparently part of the aptitude test. We're supposed to be able to dangle in the air for a good amount of time to prove we can use the Omni-Directional Maneuver Gear that they would hand out to us after. Seems easy, right? Wrong. See, you're only suspended by two wires that the gear has on it, and that's what makes it so you _have_ to prove yourself. This is why I was so nervous before. I am afraid that I wouldn't pass and leave all my friends all behind. And the fact that I'd be doing this in front of, oh, let's say a million Cadets. Scary stuff, I know.

When I am called up to do the test, I can feel what seems like a thousand butterflies in my stomach fluttering all around me. I mean, who wouldn't right now. As soon as I am hooked up to the device, I keep my eyes squeezed tight as I am lifted up. Then I realize something: this is just like flying. Well, except the fact that I'm connected to a device with _wires_. Other than that, it's exactly the same, so I know what kind of 'balancing act' I can do to keep myself upright. Keeping my toes pointed to the ground, I bring my legs as close as possible and open my eyes.

The drill sergeant comes up to me to check on my progress. When he takes a glance at me, he looks at his board, writes something down, and nods to the person managing the device, who brings me back down safely.

"Good job, Yuki," he says when he unchains me. "Looks like you know what you're doing."

"Honestly, no, I didn't," I reply. "I didn't think I'd manage to do it right."

"Well, okay, but still, you acted like it." He sticks out his hand. "I'm Marco. Nice to know you."

"Well, you already know my name, but yes, I'm Yuki. Nice to know you, too," I reply with a grin, shaking his hand.

We get interrupted by a loud thunking noise. Startled, I glance back to see Eren upside down on the device. _That sounded like it hurt_ , I think to myself. _I hope he's okay._

"Yeager!" the drill sergeant barks. "What is the meaning of this?"

"I don't know!" Eren shoots back.

"You'd better find out, soldier, or you're going to spend the rest of your life on the farm. Bring him down," the sergeant orders.

The Cadet on hand does as he is ordered, then leaves in shock. Eren's expression is nothing short of shock as well. I can only imagine what he may be thinking.

It takes the entire day to go through all the Cadets, which makes me feel rather bored. I mean, come on, what can we do? We just watched our own friend go down rather easily. Not an easy thing to watch. By the time everyone is done, it's time for dinner.

Ugh. I don't think I'll be able to eat after watching that scene. I seriously feel bad now.

Back in my cabin, I tie my hair into a quick ponytail (or is it a knot? I don't really know which is which,) as Marco talks to me.

"Jeez, that was hard to watch, wasn't it?" he tells me.

"Yeah. Hard not to feel like your victory over that machine is bitter after seeing that," I reply, looking at my hairstyle in different ways. "Well, at least for me."

"No kidding. I hope Eren figures out what went wrong, his speech yesterday was out-of-bounds great."

"I know, I've been his friend since we were kids. No, wait, make that best friends." I laugh a little as we head back to the mess hall. "Although I do think Armin is his best friend in a landslide, before Mikasa and I."

"Yeah, just one look at you four hanging out and you can tell you are best friends, even without the uniforms or sitting near each other at the mess hall," Marco says thoughtfully. "Hard not to, of course."

"Well, what about you and Jean? You guys seem to mesh well," I say just as thoughtfully. By this point he and I have arrived at the mess hall. Marco puts his hand on the door handle.

"Well…." he says as he hesitates. "There are times where he can go off the edge, but he is a nice guy. If you know how to break down his walls, then he'll become friends with you. It's tricky, though."

"Ah, okay then."

Marco opens the doors, and he and I part as I try to find a spot to sit.

"Hey, Yuki! I saved you a spot!" I hear from one side of the room. It's Armin, of course, sitting next to Eren, who looks downright depressed, with a bandage around his head..

"Oh, _thank you_ ," I sigh, relieved. "I was starting to think I couldn't find a spot to sit."

"Yeah...hey, I have a favor to ask you," he says as I sit down.

"I may have an answer," I reply. "Go ahead."

"Eren and I are going to try to get advice on how to improve his stability."

"Really? Well, I can try to help you guys, if that's what you need."

"You read my mind, didn't you?"

"No, I just know you too well."

"I don't know what I'm doing wrong," Eren jumps in, sounding exasperated. "How did I flip over like that? I didn't do anything!"

"Huh. In that scenario, I'm not sure either. All I did was find a way to balance that was perfect for me and me alone. Did you try that?" I quip.

"...No, I don't think so," he says slowly. "That's one idea."

"Maybe something went wrong in the device thing," Armin adds. "Wouldn't that have an effect on how your performance went?"

Eren is silent for a minute. You can actually hear the clatter about his performance, which is very annoying, so we ignore it the best we can.

Finally he sighs. "How is that possible?" he says. "From what I heard, it's a rare chance to have the slings be broken, even suddenly."

"Well, okay then," I comment. "How about this: I'll come with you guys and see if I can take notes. Before, you were full of energy, wanted to get rid of every Titan on the face of the earth. Whatever started this turnaround we should be able to uncover, so we can stop it as fast as possible."

"Okaaaay…..Then what?" Eren presses.

"Then you can still be a soldier. I want to help in any way I can, OK? I can help find a solution. There's always a way to fix things if you can find it."

"Alright, then. Yuki, you have me convinced. Let's go find out that problem."

Okay, imagine that you have a few friends who are dealing with a bunch of jerks. Well, friends who are acting like jerks. Now ramp a certain friend's anger by 400%, another friend's worry by 200%, and your own anxieties by 500%. Stir them all in. Now you have Eren, Armin, and I after dealing with Jean and Connie, Eren and Armin's cabin mates.

"Well, they clearly didn't want to help out any," I say with a sigh. "If I were them, I would have tried to find at least _one_ piece of advice."

"Yeah, even I'll say it: what jerks," Armin says, also very annoyed.

"They don't give a damn about who leaves and who stays," Eren scoffs, rather appalled.

"The only time they'd actually care is if _they_ end up in the farm."

"What now?" Armin asks.

"Hmm...Can we try my cabin next? It seems like none of your cabin members want to help," I tell them.

"Yes, please _,_ " Eren says. "I mean, anything to get rid of that bad memory for a while."

"Good. I think I know a few people who can help in the best way possible."

Armin gives me a weird look. "Okaaaay. Lead the way, then."

I let them follow me to where Mikasa and I 'live' in, if you can call it that. How can you call it living if you sleep in a cabin on a _military base?_

Yeah. Didn't think so.

When I walk in, Reiner and Marco are right where I knew they would be, on Marco's bunk (the top). Marco, being really, really observant, spots me coming in.

"Hey, Yuki!" He says. "What's up?"

"Um, the sky?" I quip, pointing up. Reiner and Marco burst into laughter. "You know Eren and Armin, don't you?"

"Yeah," Reiner says after a minute to stifle his laughter. "What is the problem?"

"Spill it," Marco says. "I won't judge."

"Remember what happened today? With Eren flipping over?"

"Yeah...hard to forget," says Marco. "Come on up, and please continue once you're up here."

"Ladies first," Armin says.

"Why thank you, good sir," I say gallantly, receiving a snicker from him. I climb up the ladder, then help Eren and Armin up before I continue with my story.

"Alright, then," Reiner says, "Go on."

"Eren has told me that he needs help. Okay, look, he really wants to be a soldier, just like I do. I really want to help him, but all I've got so far is that he may need to find a way to balance all on his own. I couldn't tell him how even if I tried. So, do you have any tips that could help him?"

"Well. This is a predicament," Reiner says.

"Don't I know it," I sigh.

"I would help if I could, but honestly, I don't know how to explain how to do it right," Reiner continues. "I guess there isn't much to explain. Sorry, man. I'd be of no help to you."

"Neither can I," Marco adds. "I so wish I could help, but...I don't know. Trying to explain how I was able to do it is difficult, if not impossible."

Eren groans. "Great. I won't be able to become a soldier, then?"

"We still have a few people to ask for tips, Eren," I say as reassuringly as possible.

"Besides, if they can't help, there's still the possibility of it coming to you tomorrow," Armin adds.

"Wait, hold on a second. Where did you say you were from, Eren?" Marco suddenly interrupts.

"Um, I came from Shiganshina, like Armin and Yuki," Eren replies. "Why do you ask?"

"So you saw the Titan attacks two years ago!" Reiner gasps. "All three of you! You were all from Shiganshina?"

"Yep," I say nonchalantly. "Oh, but I didn't see what was going on then. I had already gotten myself to safety. I was in it, though."

"Same here," Armin says. "I mean, I was in it, but Yuki and I didn't actually see the attacks myself. Yuki and I escaped by then. Eren, however, has seen it first hand."

"Oh, God, really?" Marco shudders.

"Yeah. You know, it still makes me angry," I add. "Unlike some people who haven't lived in Shiganshina, I actually enjoyed living there. Now our home is taken."

"Ours too," Reiner says.

"Really?" I say, shocked.

"Yeah," says Marco. "We went through it as well, although we weren't in your district. The message...It wasn't given to us in time, and before I knew it...well...I was staring straight into a Titan's horrid face."

I picture what he must have saw and shudder. "Ugh," I manage to say.

"The rest of it is a blur, so I can't tell you much else," Marco continues. "Mainly people screaming...people trying to escape...and I ran into Reiner during the evacuation."

"That's just it. No one else here but us has seen the true terror of the Titan's wrath,"

Reiner says. "Alright, Let's see what we can do. Come with us. I'll show you something."

I glance at Armin, who gives a tiny shrug and a look that says, _Let's go for it. Might give us some information._

"Well, why not?" I say aloud, agreeing to what I interpreted.

Eren shoots a look at me, confusion crossing his face. "Hey, it could give you info," I whisper to him. "Let's try it, okay?"

Eren gives the tiniest of nods, smiling a little.

Walking through the forest that night, we get to hear Reiner's story.

"Where do I start? When the Titans attacked our district, most of us panicked and tried to flee," he begins. "Normal situational fight or flight mode. After I did, I felt horrible. There's nothing worse than the idea of fleeing without giving a good fight-or heck, no fight at all. I never forgave myself for what happened-or how I didn't fix it-until now."

"Why's that?" I query.

We arrive at a little cliff that shows off a nearby lake.

"Because I'm able to train for fighting the Titans." He looks back at us and smiles. "Because I can become better, stronger, much more agile. Part of me hopes that you'll make it through," he adds, speaking directly to Eren this time.

He pauses as he stares off at the lake view; the moon and clouds bringing a sentimental effect to it.

"Alrighty, then, I have an idea," Reiner says suddenly. "Try tightening the belt of the sling, and then see what happens. Hopefully that will work."

"Thanks, man, you've been such a help," Eren says. "Reiner, am I right?"

"Yes, and to clarify, you're Eren, right?"

"Don't mistake me for anybody else, okay?"

"Alright, my man."

Eren, Marco, and Reiner walk off, back to the cabin, but I linger behind, still feeling apprehensive, or sentimental, or whatever. I turn to face the water, silently praying that after all this hard work, Eren will persevere.

"Yuki? Aren't you coming?" Armin asks me.

"Yeah...sorry. I was spacing out. Let's go," I reply.

"Okay. Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah, go ahead."

"Did you get your hair cut? I kept forgetting to ask all day."

"Um, yeah! How'd you tell?"

"It seemed shorter from yesterday, Like Mikasa's, except that, was more obvious."

Okay, he has a point.

"Yes. She was the one to cut it. Somehow she picked up a talent for hairstyling. All I did this evening was put it into a ponytail."

"Half ponytail, half a knot or whatever, right?"

"Yep."

"Alright, well, that's all I wanted to ask. Goodnight, Yuki."

"'Night, Armin."

The next morning, I don't startle awake from any nightmares. Maybe it's because I know I can use the Omni-directional maneuver gear, which allows us to come up at a Titan and strike its weak point, but I still feel so much better than last time. I quickly change into my uniform and put back in my ponytail/knot; I had to take it out to sleep.

And, of course, silently pray _again_ that Eren will do well on his test, since he has to retake it.

Mikasa is the first to greet me this morning. "Hi, Yuki," she says, stifling a yawn.

"Good morning, Mikasa," I say.

"How was the great hunt for ideas?"

"It wasn't as great as we'd thought it would be, but we definitely got help."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Hey, were you doing something that afternoon? I couldn't find you."

"Yeah, Armin and I were letting Eren give another attempt on that device, and again he flipped over. Smashed his head against the ground, too."

"Oh, so that's why he had that bandage around his head."

"Unfortunately."

"Well. Okay then. I should have asked about it yesterday."

"Nah. If you did, Eren would've gotten defensive about it."

" of him. Armin might've told me, but I think Eren would have clapped a hand over his mouth in order to get him to shut up."

"No kidding."

There are no incidents during breakfast, which confuses me. Wouldn't there still be people snickering behind Eren's back?

"God, I'm so nervous," Eren says.

"Don't be. You've got all the help we can give you, remember?" Armin reminds him.

"I know, but still, I'm doing this alone in front of hundreds of Cadets. Of course I'm going to be nervous."

Okay, he has a point.

"I know it might be a bit late now, but good luck," I tell him.

"Thanks. I will need all the luck I can get."

"Don't we know it," Armin adds.

Then, during the retake, something interesting happens. Eren is shackled back into the device, and just like everyone else, he is lifted off the ground. Taking my advice last night, he tries to find his center of balance, and for about ten seconds, he stays upright. Shocked faces are all you can see throughout the crowd.

And then he flips over again, seemingly against his will.

"I-I'm sorry, sir," Eren begins, flustered.

The sergeant ignores him, and instead turns to the Cadet working at the device.

"Exchange your gear with Cadet Yeager," he commands.

"Huh?"

"Just put on the device, Yeager," he snaps, already impatient.

Eren reluctantly changes out of the sling, and goes through the test a third time. This time, however, he succeeds in staying upright for the entire time. Eren just stares at us in shock

"Something must have gone wrong with the device," the sergeant continues.. "I'll have to sent it off for maintenance. These kinds of things are rare."

"Wait, seriously?" Eren says, elated.

"Yes. Keep training hard, soldier," the sergeant barks, saluting.

"Hey, look at him," Armin says. "He looks so much more confident now, like last time he talked about destroying the Titans."

"No... he looks like he proved me wrong," Mikasa mutters to herself.

"Maybe a bit of both to all of us," I point out. "After all, he did prove that he can be a soldier."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Training, training, training

Time passes quickly, for three years of training, that is. Basically, the gist of it is you need to know what a Titan is like and their weak point, Endurance (Which every time Armin did it, he looked rather exhausted. Eventually, he was able to go through it better each time), Omni Maneuver Gear practice, combining the two. Through the last year of training, though, it's mostly honing our Titan-kill streak by using the "Titans" doll things, which is just wooden posts with cushions on the weak point, and hand to hand combat. Like I mentioned way back at the beginning of the story, I was mentored a lot, so hand to hand combative skills are a piece of cake.

Today, which is part of the last week of training, Armin and I are fighting against each other. Don't ask me why we were paired up together, I haven't the foggiest idea. Right now, however, things are much more difficult.

"Dang it! Still too shallow!" Eren curses to himself as he zips away, very aggravated. I change directions from him, looking for more of the false Titans to slice and dice, stopping only on a tree branch when I can't find any.

Yes, the new and improved game of "Titan-hunting", as some of the Cadets like to call it, has been quite difficult for Eren, apparently. He doesn't seem to figure out how to slice deep enough for the Titan to become dead. He has been able to do it more often than not, he just can't seem to figure out 's doing it.

In this makeshift forest, planted long ago by the sergeants before General Ironpants here, we have to train to kill as many Titans as possible. So far, we've had a several people drop out-leaving 300 Cadets left-because they couldn't stand up to the pressure of the training. Mostly from hand to hand combat and this, but still, it was a sizable chunk, about 500 boys, and girls. Geez. They really couldn't handle the strain.

Quickly, I speed off to find another "Titan" before anyone else, and I find about three ready to be destroyed. Yes. Using a maneuvering trick that Mikasa taught me, I go back and forth as I cut really deep cuts in the cushions, one by one.

Whoo! Didn't think I could do that, but I did. I bet I can do it on actual Titans, right?

At least that's what I hope.

During hand to hand combat practice, Armin takes me by surprise by snatching my "knife" away from me first and throwing me to the ground. I didn't even know he could do that. One surefire way to disable a human-bird recombinant is to pin them against the ground or wall so that they can't unfurl their wings and escape.

"Oof," I breathe out in shock. "You definitely practiced."

"Are you alright, Yuki?" Armin asks me, offering his hand to me.

"Yeah, this isn't much compared to whatever else I've had to deal with." Grateful, I take his hand. "I mean, you took me by surprise, but if I let myself be surprised by the pain, then I've already lost the battle."

"So pain to you is just a message, and you can ignore it?"

"In a way, yes. Sometimes I just let myself take it. Just remember this: Expect pain. Expect to get hurt in combat. If you are surprised by pain, then you've lost to your opponent."

"You're telling me this because?"

"Simple tips that can help you in the near future."

"Oh, okay," He nods, getting it.

"Anyways, I was going to say if you can take _me_ down, then you've become exceptionally good," I say approvingly. "It's your turn."

"Alright."

He charges at me, probably expecting to "stab" me which could kill me in a real-life situation, but this time, I take the false knife away from him. Trying to get it back, he tries to throw a punch at me, connecting only with empty air where my jaw used to be. He only has a second to react before I land a roundhouse kick to his side, so we're back in the same position except the roles are reversed.

"Ow. I didn't see that coming," He says, wincing from the pain. "Have you been able to do that for a while now?"

"Yep. It's one of those good/bad things. Another tactic you can use is to switch your game up like I just did there. It catches them off guard."

"Okay, more notes I have to take. Wonderful." He says this sarcastically, but in a way that makes me want to laugh.

"What did I tell you? You've become good at this. I mean, not very many people can take me down like that. Probably only you, Eren, and Mikasa can actually do that."

"Eren and Mikasa, definitely yes. Me? Not so much."

"Don't be so sure."

Marco suddenly walks over. "Yuki, let me try against you."

"Really?" excitement is too easy to detect in my voice.

"Yeah, I wanna give it a shot." Marco grins.

 _Well, good luck to you, Marco,_ I think to myself.

"Okay, Let's go!" I say enthusiastically.

"Don't stress it too much, okay?" Armin tells me.

"Of course not," is my reply. "I don't want him stuck with a broken arm or leg."

The whole thing lasts around two minutes. In the end, Marco is flat on his back, panting but also smiling.

"Wow...You're excellent, Yuki. Did you...have training...before the Academy?" He says between gasps.

"You could say that," I say a little uneasily.

"Well, we're graduating tomorrow. There's no doubt you'd be there in the top ten, or at least close to it," Marco says approvingly.

"Uhm, thanks?" I try. "It's not easy, but someone needs to be in the top ten."

Marco laughs at that. "Good point. So, what's up?"

"Reiner's height, for one," I say, laughing. "My spirits, absolutely."

"Good, 'cause if it wasn't, we'd be in trouble. Everyone likes you for your high spirits and personality. And that would mean Reiner is shrinking, ha-ha."

"Everyone else is filing out of the courtyard. I guess that means we've got to go, too."

"Yeah. Hey, I was wondering something, Yuki."

"Yeah?"

"Which regiment were you going to go in?"

"Oh, the Scouts, of course. It was my dream to join the Survey Corps since I can remember. I wanted to know what else was out there, not just Titans, you know?"

"I see. That makes sense."

"What about you, Marco? Weren't you going to join the MP?"

"You mean the Military Police? It was a dream of my own, but...I don't know. I guess I sort of changed my mind."

"Yeah? Was it Eren that helped changed your mind?"

"I think so."

Well. This is news to me. I thought that Marco would go for the MP.

Then Marco continues. "Besides, who knows if I can make it into the top ten? If that doesn't happen, then my backup plan would join the Scouts."

"Ohhhhh. That makes a lot of sense now."

"I know. That's genius, right?"

"That is more than genius, it's a very foolproof plan that only a person from the farthest planet would ever think of!"

"Yeah, I bet Armin would think of it too because he's super smart."

"I know. When we were younger he used to keep this book about the outside world. Honestly, he never seemed to let it go, took it everywhere he went. So when he let me see it, I was more than dazzled. I was mind-blown by the sheer amount of information in that thing."

"Wow. I wish he could have gotten it to keep with him."

Eren spots me from a few yards away. "Yuki! Come over here, will you?"

"Okay, Marco, I've got to go. See you tonight?"

"Yeah. Bye, Yuki!" Marco leaves me to meet up with my friends.

"Yuki, come _on_!" Eren says, practically dragging me.

"Okay, okay! You don't have to drag me, Eren, I'm coming!" I shout, laughing and struggling against him.

"Alright, Eren, let her go, she said she's coming," says Mikasa. "She can walk on her own."

Eren finally releases me, allowing me to walk freely. "Geez, you would've thought I was a criminal or something," I say, still kind of laughing.

"Sorry about that," Eren says sheepishly. "I had something to show you, but you had been busy with Marco sparring, so at first I didn't want to disturb you."

"No problem," I shrug. "So, what did you need to show me?"

"Come with us and I'll show you," Eren states simply.

"Okaaaay…"

I follow Eren and Mikasa as they take me somewhere familiar. It's the place that Marco and Reiner took us on the night of Eren's unfortunate event.

"Why are we here?" I query, rather confused. "Is this important?"

"Nah. I just wanted to come back here and hang out. We do have a little bit of free time."

"Well, okay, that makes me feel better….I think."

"Hey, we won't get much free time after this, right?"

"Yeah…"

"Oh, there you guys are," says Armin from behind me. "I was wondering where you guys went."

"Sorry. Did we just vanish out of thin air for you?" I say, trying to go for a laugh.

"Yep. I was confused. It was, like, one minute you're there and the next you're not."

"Oh. My bad!" Eren says. "I thought you were coming with us."

"Well, I would have if I was paying attention." Now he laughs a little. "Nevermind. I found you, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did," Mikasa jumps in.

"How'd you know where we were?" I ask.

"Why else would Eren come here? And drag us here," Armin says. "Kind of obvious when you think about it."

"Oh, am I really that predictable?" Eren retorts.

"No, but I knew that you'd be here, at least with Yuki. Did Mikasa know about this place already?"

"No. I asked her about it but she didn't have a clue."

"Yeah, only now do I know of it," She says, sighing.

"That's okay. I don't think we'll see it after tomorrow anyways," I say, sighing with her. Then, I add, "Let's enjoy it while we can, alright?"

"Yes, because time flies when you're having fun."

At dinner, things seem tense, which is weird since throughout time at the Academy, the atmosphere was bubbly and excited.

"The tension so thick that you can slice it with a butter knife if you had one," Armin remarks.

"Yeah. Why does it feel so tense in here?" I ask.

"I don't know, but it's making me uncomfortable."

"I know, and you can't just blurt things out to make it disappear. I don't like it."

"The root of it, however, might be Jean and Eren," Mikasa points out. "I mean, just look at them."

I glance over at where Eren is sitting, then at Jean, and clearly, they are the tensest of us all, without a doubt or second thought.

"No kidding. Can someone please find a way get them to stop bringing everyone the tension? It's starting to scare me," I say nervously.

"I don't think we can," Mikasa whispers hollowly. "Once it starts between them, there's no way of stopping it unless you're talented enough to do it."

Mikasa's right, because apparently Eren and Jean can't keep their mouth shut when it comes to these things. Shake my head in annoyance.

It starts with Eren shaking his head and attempting to ignore Jean.

"What's your problem?" Jean retorts.

"What?" Eren mimics, starting to fail at ignoring him.

"It seems all day that you've been pretty rash, so I'm just trying to find the issue."

"The only times I'm rash, apparently, is when you're around. Could it be 'cause were rivals?"

"What do you mean?" Jean retorts, looking angry now.

"Hey. you make me feel uncomfortable sometimes, okay? Let's drop it now."

That tactic doesn't work. Jean still won't stop pressing it.

"I watched you get defeated by a girl today. How does that make you feel?"

"Doesn't change a thing," Eren snaps at Jean, patience wearing thin. "She is a strong person, so it was an equal match."

"Jean, stop it," Marco says. "Yuki beat me, you know, so stop being so sexist."

"Marco, stay out of this," Jean snaps. "Was she really? Or were you going easy on her because she's a girl?" he adds, speaking to Eren, of course.

At this point, both Eren and Jean are standing, facing each other.

"Why? Are you afraid of a strong girl, like a few I would know?" Eren says. "Or were you even paying attention to your own fight?"

"Uh-oh," I whisper to myself. "This is trouble."

"Were you when you were fighting Annie?" Jean retorts.

"Are you really trying to test me?" Eren says angrily.

"Yes, yes I am. Prepare yourself, Eren."

Not much happens in this fight. Why? Because Eren immediately flips Jean completely over. Jean just looks at him in shock after that.

"How'd you do that?" Jean asks.

"It was a tactic that I'd picked up this afternoon. I bet you would've picked up more skills, too, if you were paying attention. Oh, I bet you weren't, were you?" Eren sneers at him.

Jean opens his mouth to speak, but immediately gets cut off by the sergeant opening the door on them. Oops.

"I hope nothing bad is going on in here," he says spookily. "I don't want our Cadets to get hurt, do we?"

Dead silence from everyone, until Mikasa speaks up.

"It was Sasha, sir. She farted."

Sasha, the victim of this lie, lets her jaw drop in the horror of what Mikasa just did to her.

"Oh, for God's sake, soldier," the sergeant says disapprovingly. "Show some goddamn respect!" and with that, he closes the door.

Snickers echo across the room.

"Way to cover it up, Mikasa," I say hoarsely. "Although you could have used me instead of Sasha. I would've taken it much more lightly than that."

"Heh-heh." She smirks. "Had to use what I had to snap quickly."

"It worked, didn't it?" Armin says.

"Yeah…"


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: You're a soldier now, Yuki

That next night, they hold the ceremony for all the Cadets graduating from the academy. It's a formal-like affair, so we are required to wear our uniforms, at least until the celebration held by the Cadets themselves. Thank goodness for that; I really, really don't want to wear my uniform during the party.

Of course, that doesn't mean it doesn't fill you with nervous energy when you think you may have made it onto the top ten, which means you can join the Military Police, or the MP for short. Like Marco mentioned. Believe me, everyone likes that idea, because that means they can live a rather comfortable life in what we call the "Interior," or the innermost wall of what we can barely call a country, Wall Sina, or Wall Sheena, however, they spell it. You know what? Forget it. I'm mixing the two: "Wall Shina."

First, the coaches that taught us to give this incredibly long speech, which bores everyone to death, but it was mandatory stuff. Even the coaches themselves weren't too pleased with having to give it again. Eh, we manage to get through it, and by then the people on the stage are almost asleep. The sergeant that constantly was on our backs literally has to shake them awake, which is a little funny to see.

Then, they list off who made it into the top ten. They bring out a board that has the names of all the soldiers that are ranked in the top ten, and for those who can't see it in the back, the sergeant shouts in a stiff voice the names. I scan the board of the list of names:

Mikasa Ackerman

Reiner Braun

Bertolt Hoover

Annie Leonhart

Eren Yeager

Jean Kirstein

Marco Bott

Connie Springer

Sasha Blouse

Krista Lenz

So most of my friends could join the MP if they wanted too. Mikasa, without a doubt, is 1st. She is an ace at this stuff. Eren beat Jean, so he must be laughing right now. And Krista is now my 5th best friend. I'm so happy of those three. Oh, hey, there are some other names:

11\. Armin Arlert

12\. Yuki Kurosaki

13\. Ymir

Well. I got close. Real close. And, apparently, so did Armin and Ymir. I'm at least an even number. _Sweet_.

Speaking of whom, I turn to Armin, and he's smiling. It's been awhile since I've seen him smile. Feels like ages.

"I got close to the top ten," He says, clearly very happy. "And so did you. That's an achievement that makes me feel good."

"Even if it isn't the top ten," I say, grinning myself. "that proves how strong we really are. The _way_ lower people will probably join the Garrison Regiment if you know what I mean."

"Yeah...That's no fun." He sighs and shrugs. "I honestly think the Scouts would be a hundred times more exciting."

"And also dangerous," I add.

"Who really cares? It's the _Scouts_ , for crying out loud. Their motto is 'If you come back alive, then you're a member of the Survey Corps'."

"Good motto. I wonder if that's to scare the more timid people away. I don't think it works, though."

"Yeah, but have you heard the speeches that Commander Erwin gives? It scares off a lot of people pretty easily. I wonder why."

Then the sergeant ends with a "Do your best, soldiers" ending, when everyone is back to paying attention to him (though it takes no time at all), a salute, and we are dismissed.

I don't think I've ever seen a crowd run off so fast like this.

There's no time to waste, apparently; everyone's willing to party like they're gonna die young. Everybody, including me, quickly gets changed so they can head to the reserved spot in Trost District, one of the four districts in Wall Rose. For me, it's a lightweight white dress with active pants and combat boots. Don't ask me why I have combat boots; it's a rather long story. As for my hair? I just leave it down. No need to put it up when we're going to party.

Mikasa, who already got ready a while ago and left the room to me, now pops her head in. "Yuki? Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah, I just need a minute to take it in," I reply with a weak smile.

"Can I come in?"

"Sure, I'm not stopping you."

Mikasa walks in, wearing her super-long skirt and a button-down white shirt.

"Wow, Mikasa! You look like someone who looks like she just won the 1st spot in the top ten! I'm jealous, but at the same time happy for you," I say excitedly.

"Thanks." She flushes with pleasure. "You look the same, for someone who got 12th place."

"Hey! It's an even number. I like even numbers."

"True. That I do know about you." She looks at my hairstyle. "Leaving it down?"

"Yeah. I'm not always gonna put it in a ponytail. I like it this way, anyway,"

"Well, yeah, Nobody keeps their hair in a ponytail all day."

"Except for maybe Annie," I point out. Or, hey, how about Fang from my favorite book series, Maximum Ride, before he had his hair chopped off?

"Oh yeah! Touche. Come on, let's get going. I'm sure Krista is dying to see you."

"Okay, then."

Mikasa grabs my hand, and together we run as fast as we can to get to Trost district in time. Don't want to be late.

Thankfully, we get there just before it starts, while everyone else is still outside and waiting for the time they can use the room. Marco waves me over. "Hey, Yuki! Over here!"

"Hey, Marco, good job for getting 7th in the top ten," I say, heading over there, where Eren and Armin are, too. Interesting.

"Thanks. I honestly didn't think I could do it, but here I am," he says, maybe a little sheepishly.

When we get in there, I'm instantly greeted with Krista's delight.

" _Yukiiiiiiiiii!_ " Krista shrieks, running over and encasing me in a gigantic hug. "Ohmigosh! I cannot believe it! I'm in the top ten!"

"I know!" I squeal. "I'm so happy for you!"

Krista just screams like an 8-year-old girl who just got her first dolly. I've noticed that since she discovered I have wings, she's been like 'Okaaaaaay. Wings. I can deal with that since you're my friend." Like the other three did when they accidentally discovered it. I'm happy for that because it means I have some real friends around here.

If you don't think that's an odd sentence, please reread it.

For the most part, it's a lighthearted event; everyone's spirits are far too light to have even the slightest bad thought shake it off.

Okay, maybe I spoke too soon. When Krista and I are just hanging out, I hear a shout from somewhere across the room.

"What?! You're not joining the MP?" one of the Cadets asks Eren.

"If you want to live comfortably inside the Interior, go right ahead. I won't stop you," Eren replies, his voice like steel. "I came here for a mission, and that was to eradicate all the Titans. I'll be of no use to the Military Police." and then he's running out the door in anger.

" _Crap,"_ I hiss out in a breath. "I'm sorry, Krista, but I've got to go."

"No problem, Yuki," She says, nodding.

I break out into a run, following where Eren ran off, along with Armin and Mikasa, who are also concerned.

"Eren, wait up!" Armin cries.

Mikasa throws open the door and we head outside to where Eren is sitting.

"Eren, are you alright?" I ask, worried.

Eren turns to face us. "I'm sorry. That was rather shocking to you guys, wasn't it?"

Well, maybe, maybe not.

"You running off like that was shocking. What you said wasn't as shocking," I point out. "I knew you wouldn't want to join the MP no matter what happened."

"*Sigh….* Yeah. I'm not too thrilled with the MP. I did overreact, though I'd rather not be forced into a regiment because of my rank, you know?"

"You know what? I don't blame you. If people discovered what I was, they'd try to force me into a regiment that I don't want to be in. And that's only because of who-or more accurately, what-I am," I sigh.

"Yeah... I hear you, Yuki. Nobody should like that."

"I'm going to join the Scout Regiment," Armin says suddenly.

"Huh?" Eren says, surprised. "What? Armin, your life has been with books! Why are you forcing yourself to do this?"

"First off, I'm not forcing myself to do it," Armin scoffs, slightly annoyed that he thought that. "It's my decision. And secondly, I don't want people to worry about me so much. I can handle it."

"I'm going to join the Scouts, too," says Mikasa.

"Mikasa? You, too? But you're number one in the top ten! You can join the MP! Also, I don't need you to constantly follow me around," says a very flustered Eren.

Mikasa only shrugs it off. "Wherever you go, I'll go, too, I don't care if you're mad at me," She says offhandedly.

Eren then turns to me, the person leaning against the wall, listening to this unfold. "Let me guess, Yuki. You're going to join the Scouts too," he says, very annoyed. "Why?"

"Okay, yes, I'm going to join the Scouts, but no need to sound so scornful, Eren. If not for that attack on our hometown, then we wouldn't be here, would we? Anyway, I'm joining the Scouts because that was my dream in the first place," I point out, raising an eyebrow. "I personally want to be at my best as a soldier, so darn well I'm going to be the best I can be. This isn't just about joining because of you, Eren, or staying with my friends. It's like what I said before: I don't want to be forced into joining a regiment I don't want to join. Besides, as a part of the Survey Corps, if I die, I at least die with my dignity. "

Eren is wide-eyed with shock, his jaw slack. I guess he wasn't expecting such a speech.

Finally, he speaks: "Well played, Yuki. I wasn't expecting a thorough explanation. Okay, fine. Then we'll join the Scouts. Together."

 **(Ruby: This next chapter will take more time to post than the others, but I thank you for being paitent with me through this! ^^ Feel free to leave any constructive critisism, I want this as great as possible.)**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: This again

The rest of the time is more cheerful during the party, except a few other people do have a grudge about...something. I can't tell what it is if I tried, so I just ignore it as best as possible to enjoy the rest of our time. Thankfully, it goes well, and everyone all gets a very good night's sleep. Except for maybe me, because something….doesn't feel right. I couldn't put into words if I tried, but it sends shivers down my spine. It's as though there's something eerie going on. It startles me awake, or what I think is awake. It's the middle of the night. Definitely not going to be dawn for hours to come. Crickets, singing in chorus, makes a soothing sound for me to hear. But it's the only thing I do hear. No owls, not a snore, (although no one snores in my cabin,) not even a peep from any mice that may scatter around time to time. Nothing.

It definitely gives me a chill down my spine. Is this a nightmare? I listen ever more intently, trying to hear something, _someone_ , anything. But then something hits me: No one is in my cabin. Nobody. It's just me. Alone. Even more adrenaline courses through my veins, bringing panic to my senses. This has to be a nightmare. It _has_ to be. My friends can't be gone! It's not possible! I saw them go into their cabins for the night! I _saw_ them! Frightened, I run out of my own cabin, looking for them in the other cabins, but no one is around. They're gone.

Since nobody is here or asleep, I find myself screaming, which takes me a moment to register. "Eren? Mikasa? Armin? Anybody? Where are you?!" I hear myself shout, starting to panic even more. Then, in a much quieter voice, "Please? Is anybody here?...Please help, someone? Please?"

Nothing. Not even someone telling me that it's okay. Nope, nada, none _,_ zip, zilch, zero. Taking a shaky breath, I slump against the wall of my cabin, trying to calm myself down. Okay, where the heck am I anyway? Why am I so worried about my friends, and their disappearance? And one other haunting question: If this is a nightmare, how can I escape it, or what is it trying to tell me?

Thunder startles me out of my rampaging thoughts. I stand up to see a storm blowing in roughly, whipping my hair in my face and blocking my vision. Facing in the direction of the storm's rough winds, I decide that wallowing in my fear is no way to face this particular nightmare, even if it feels like it's going on forever. As tedious as it is, I try to walk through the wind and rain, without anything to protect myself, the thunder being extremely loud so I wouldn't be able to hear anything. Finally, after what seems like ages, a sudden burst of wind knocks me off my feet, and I awake to someone shaking me awake.

"Aaack!" I cry out, finally conscious

"Yuki! Are you okay?" Armin's voice says, worried. "I heard you calling out our names."

Slowly, I open my eyes, unsure of what I'd see next. Thankfully, it's just Armin and nobody else. I sit up straighter, relaxing a little.

"Ugh. No, I'm not okay," I say shakily, rubbing my forehead. "I just had the worst nightmare of my life."

"Oh no, not again."

"I know. It was so much worse than what I'd ever experienced. I'm just glad it's over, finally. It went on for what seemed like forever."

"I heard you calling out to us, as though you were lost and alone. What was that about?"

"I _was_ alone. There was nothing I could do about it, either. Except for me, of course, no one else was at the Academy. I couldn't even find you guys. That's why I was calling, even though in my dreams it was louder than it felt."

"Wait, seriously? No one, except you, was there?"

"Was it an evacuation that I didn't know about? I'm not sure. All I know is that you weren't there. It scared me, being completely alone. A storm followed shortly afterwards, and I think I saw something inside the dark grey clouds. I don't remember what happened next."

"Oh, my gosh," Armin says after a moment. "Yeah, you're right. You are not okay. You've been scared out of your skin!"

"I certainly don't feel okay," I say weakly. "Please don't tell Eren and Mikasa about this, please? It's bad enough just telling you about it."

"Okay. I can see that it's making you scared just having to retell it."

"That, and how ridiculous it will sound to them."

"Eren, yes. Mikasa...Well, it's hard to tell with her. But I get your drift." He get gets down from my bunk. "Come on. Let's go. We have jobs to do."

"Okay. Thanks for for understanding," I sigh, getting down after him.

"Don't worry about it. I don't judge."

As soon as I get going on my day, I feel so much better. Maybe it's because I can put my nightmare in the back of my head (for now, that is), or whatever it may be, but I don't care. Just as long as I can get through my day without any other worries, I'll be fine. The morning routine for me is to go up on Wall Rose and repair any cannons. Mikasa has to do that in the morning, too, so she and I will go together. The afternoon I'll find out during lunch. Of course, that doesn't mean we can't stop to the Scouts come back from another expedition. It's something that we liked to do as little kids, so I'm not surprised that it has stayed, especially now that we've decided to go together into the Scouts.

Of course, I can't hear what Captain Levi may be muttering to himself, due to the loud clatter of the crowd, but I'm sure that what it had to do with. The crowd, that is. And that's when Hannes shows up.

Yes, that guy that Armin and I convinced to help Eren and Mikasa out when they ran towards the danger of being eaten has showed up yet again. After all, he's part of the Garrison Regiment, he has to be in Trost because of Shiganshina falling to the blasted Titans. _Still_ makes me annoyed. Nice to see him here, however.

"Hello, guys," He greets warmly.

"Hi, Hannes!" I say cheerfully. "It's been awhile since I last saw you."

"Five years, to be exact," Eren jumps in. "We really haven't seen you in a while, huh?"

"Yeah. So you graduated from the 'ol Academy, eh? Very impressive."

"Yep. All of us here graduated," Eren says enthusiastically.

"Eren and Mikasa even made it into the top ten, which is even more impressive," Armin quips. "It's awesome to have friends that are in the top ten Cadets, isn't it?"

"Yeah, although I feel jealous from you guys. Come on, how'd you do it?" I press on Mikasa.

"Mum's me," Mikasa says. " _I_ don't know how I got #1."

"Seriously?" Hannes is completely blown away. "That quiet girl I knew from five years ago is freaking #1 of the 104th training corps. Really."

"I know, hard to believe, right?" I say, trying hard not to squeal. "You guys are awesome!"

"So, Eren, I take it that though you're into the top ten, you're not going into the Military Police?" Hannes inquires. "It doesn't seem right for you, anyway."

"Yeah. Did someone else tell you? I'm joining the Scouts." Eren looks kind of annoyed that someone might've told Hannes already. Then he remember something. "Oh, crap! I'm supposed to be working on the Wall today, over that way." He points in the opposite direction of where on the Wall I need to be. "Sorry, Hannes, bu maybe we'll be able to talk some other time." and with that, he takes off.

"Was it something I said?" Hannes asks, confused.

"With Eren, you can never tell," I sigh. "Eh, it wasn't you this time, you can relax. If anything, in this case, it could be because someone told you that he wasn't joining the MP because of his rank."

"Oh, well, that makes me feel better," He sighs with relief. "Well, I need to go, guys. Maybe sometime we'll meet again."

"Okay, bye." Mikasa says softly. "Yuki, Armin, we've got to go, too."

"Okay, but I'm headed to HQ for maintenance," Armin says.

"That's on the way to where Yuki and I are headed. You can walk with us until we get to HQ," Mikasa says, not troubled.

"Good idea. Then we can keep talking or whatever," I add.

"Okay, fine," he says after a moment. "But only because we can keep talking."

"Har-har. Admit it, you didn't want to leave us alone."

"Well, maybe. Besides, do you think I'd want to act like Eren and just leave you behind like that? I don't think so."

"It doesn't matter," Mikasa says flippantly. "I mean, it's Eren, he's going to do that no matter what. He's got the temper of a devil."

"I noticed," I sigh. "Like, one minute he's pretty calm, and the next thing you know he's all fired up about something or someone. How is that even possible? It's like he has many split personalities or something."

"I know. I find it hard to keep up with him myself," Mikasa agrees.

"I think his problem is how he can't control his hot temper, considering how angry he gets at people for no good reason," Armin points out. "Remember last night, when he got annoyed at us when we told him we were going to join the Scouts?"

"Yeah, how can we forget that so soon?" I say, nodding. "After I explained why I wanted to join the scouts, he seemed to calm down very quickly. It's getting confusing."

"No kidding," Mikasa says. "He seemed especially mad at me. Was it because I was #1 and I decided not to join the MP?"

"No," I reply. "It was more because he didn't want us following him around like an annoying itch that won't go away. I've been there once or twice, so I'd know."

"How?" Armin asks me.

"Ugh, don't get me started on my old foster family," I say uneasily. "They constantly kept tabs on me, and it got to the point that I almost snapped. Of course they didn't want to stay though. As soon as they had their own child, they left me there, which was fine with me since I didn't want to leave."

"They kept constant tabs on you?" asks Mikasa, shocked. "Like, twenty-four seven, 365 days of the year? Like that?"

"Yeah. Not fun. I just wanted to be free of that." I turn back to Armin. "That's why I was so happy to find you guys. Otherwise, I may have snapped and turned into one of those serial killers."

"Thank the Lord you didn't," says Armin nervously. "We would've been screwed over ten times."

"No kidding. The thought is scary enough," I reply, wincing at the thought. "Well, anyways, we weren't talking about that, right? We were talking about Eren and his hot temper."

"Yeah. Got off track, didn't we?" Mikasa interjects. "How else do think it can get triggered? I mean, that obviously isn't the only reason, right?"

"Yeah, you're right. It's not," I agree, sighing. "What else is there, though? Right now, other than the Titans, that's all I can come up with."

"The Titans?" Mikasa asks quizzically. "Oh, yeah, the Titans, right. After his mother was killed, he vowed to destroy every single Titan off the face of the earth. Right."

"Oh, is that why? He never told us," Armin says. "'Us' being Yuki and I, that is."

"Yeah. Was he trying to keep it a secret, Mikasa?" I ask.

"I don't think so," She says slowly. "And if he was, he never told _me_ to keep it a secret, so there's no way he can be angry at me for telling you."

"Yeah. Hard to keep things secret if you don't tell the person who saw it to keep it a secret," Armin points out.

"Yeah, you're right. *SIIIIIIGH*. Oh, I think I know another one: Jean. He always seems to get under Eren's skin without even trying. Sometimes I don't think he's even trying to piss him off, just trying to talk to him in peace," I add to the growing list.

"Well, he is kind of a pain at times, but I see what you mean," says Armin thoughtfully. "Jean doesn't seem like the kind of person who would try to start fights."

"No, more like the person being harped on," Mikasa adds, just as thoughtful. "Oh, hey, we're here, Armin. I think you've got to go now."

"Shoot! I wouldn't have noticed. Thanks, Mikasa! Bye guys!" Armin cries out, running off.

"Bye!" I call out. Then I turn to Mikasa. "We've got some good friends, huh?"

"Yep, no denying that."

By the way, do you want to know what exactly Mikasa and I are doing on the wall? We're doing maintenance on the cannons that the Garrison Regiment uses if they have to ward off Titans for any reason. Because Wall Rose hasn't been infiltrated, they haven't been used in, well, _forever_ , so we have to makes sure that they're in tip-top shape for emergencies. Hopefully after we get through all the cannons, we can take a break before lunch. But then, who knows? We might go through all of them before lunch, or we might not.

"Jeez, you'd think they'd be able to figure out how to do it themselves," I mutter to Mikasa once we're on Wall Rose. "I mean, didn't they have to do this when they were Cadets?"

"Yes. I do think that's it, though. They had to do this when they were Cadets, so why not have the new Cadets do it?" Mikasa whispers back, resolved.

"Good point. Let's just roll with it, then," I sigh quietly. If you haven't noticed by now, Mikasa and I, since we've become Cadets, have become even stronger friends during our time at the Academy. When I pointed this out to her in surprise, she just smiled.

"All for the better, isn't it?" she told me.

Okay, I don't think I've told you this yet, but since I have bird DNA inside me, I also have some of their perks, like raptor vision. So when it comes to vision, it's like compared to everyone else, except if theirs was at 100%, mine would be like 150% or 200% even. I don't need glasses to see, in other words. So it's easy to see where Eren is on Wall Rose, which is opposite of where Mikasa and I are. She and I get to work right off on the first cannon in the rows that are present.

"I'm starting on this one, Mikasa, can you do the one next to it?" I tell her.

"Yeah, sure." She walks over next to me on the other cannon.

Right away I can tell something's not right about this cannon. Walking over to the other side where the cannon shoots out projectiles, I run my finger inside the hollow to find a layer of ash. Confused, I beckon Mikasa over.

"Mikasa? Come over here. I found something weird."

"What do you mean, weird?" She says coming over. When she sees my finger coated with ash, she doesn't seem surprised.

"This one, too," She says, holding up her finger to see clearly coated with the dark powdery material. "How is this possible?"

"The Titans haven't come through this wall. I don't get it," I say aloud thoughtfully.

"Oh, you're already here," Says a deep voice, making both of us jump. We turn to see a Garrison regiment soldier. "Unlike a few Cadets I know, you are very prompt. That's good. That ash on your fingers is from a party we had a few days ago. A few drunk Garrison soldiers let those cannons fly. Very unsafe, if you ask me. I need you to cleanse them out, and then I'll tell you what the rest of the cannons need, okay?"

"Yes, sir," Mikasa and I say in unison. He hands us some cleaning tools specifically designed for the cannons, and she and I get to work. It isn't as easy as you think. I have to work around the edges of the each of the cannons and all the way inside it to get it clean enough. It takes me around ten minutes, but it feels like eternity because I have to stop every two minutes to rinse out the cleaner.

"You doing okay, Yuki?" Mikasa asks me after twenty minutes of the process for three more cannons. It gets faster after the first one.

"Yes. Just trying hard to clean it out," I reply with a grin. "Now I have to polish them, don't I?"

"Yep. Here, take mine. I'm done with polishing my cannons. I need to do a final cleaning." She and I trade tools, and I get started polishing the cannons. Since it's a much easier process, I get through all four of them in ten minutes.

And then it happens again.

 _ **Kaboom!**_

I groan. "No!" I hear myself say. "Not this again!"

"Crap," Mikasa hisses, hitting the side of a now polished cannon, possibly smudging her work.

"Ackerman! Kurosaki!" Yells the Garrison soldier. "What was that noise?"

"I think I know," I tell them, sounding grave. "With all due respect, sir, I don't mean to speak freely without permission."

"No, it's alright, soldier, press on," he says. "What do you think it was?"

"Look over that way." I point to where Eren would be right now. "It must have come from that direction, because there's plenty of evidence."

Mikasa and the soldier turn in that direction. The soldier gasps, but Mikasa swears under her breath.

"Damn. It's the Colossal Titan," She mutters. "Just freaking great!"

"Wait. Hold on," I say, squinting to get a better look. "I think I can see Eren out there."

"No way. That's not possible," Says the Garrison guy. "How?"

"Ahem. I have better vision than any of you, so I can see him clearly, even if he is a tiny piece of rice compared to that Titan over there-" I stop short. "Oh, my God. I can't believe it. He's fighting the Titan!"

"WHAT?! No way!" Mikasa cries, shocked. "He'd be flattened in no time at all!"

The soldier takes out a pair of binoculars and peers through them as we watch Eren trying to wipe out the Titan.

"Nope. Apparently not," I say, not as shocked, considering she and I both know Eren and his hotheadedness. I watch, seemingly useless, as Eren passes behind the Colossal Titan as it disappears in a trail of smoke. The only evidence that it was even there is yet another gaping hole, but this time in the wall of Trost.

"Holy crud," Mikasa whispers, stunned, and the Garrison soldier just nods and adds hoarsely, "Oh, my God. It's happening again." Me? I just sit there gaping like an idiot. I can't really say-or more accurately, whisper-anything. All I can do is stare at the mess the Titan created, probably to re-ignite the fear in us 5 years ago.

Before I can say anything, though, I feel Mikasa tug my arm, causing me to be dragged away. "Come on," She seeths, though not directed towards me. "Looks like we have work cut out for us.."

About one minute after Mikasa and I witness the events previously stated, we wind up meeting Eren and Armin at the front of HQ.

"Mikasa! Yuki! Are you guys alright?" Eren asks, shocked.

"Oh my God, Eren!" I cry out, breathless. "We're fine, mostly shocked. We watched you take on the Colossal Titan, for heaven's sake! What compelled you to do that?"

"Actually, I'm not too sure," Eren replies, almost sheepish. "I just went by instinct and my hatred for Titans. Armin and I are OK, before you ask. I know that's your next question." He adds, giving me a leery stare.

Of course, Armin doesn't say anything, but judging by the look on his face, I'd say he's completely petrified and is too scared to even utter a word. Even his body language tells everyone around him that he's scared; his shivering tells me to back off because it would not be good to ask if he's alright. Besides, Eren already answered that question for him, so I decide not to push it.

Once we get into HQ, however, it's _chaos_. Everybody is trying to grab gas tanks, swords, anything that would be use to us in fighting off the Titans pouring in by the minute as I speak. I mean, okay, everyone's in a panic, and trying hard to get the supplies, but my lord, they could they be a little less spastic about grabbing the gas tanks and swords. Just a little.

Why the gas tanks, you ask? It's simple in our eyes. While the ODM gear is compatible with the flexible swords that were crafted, It requires a ton of gas for the rest of the parts used: the grappling hooks, the exhaust pipe that allows us to be propelled into the sky, even for pulling from point A to point B. That being said, we have to be extremely cautious when using said gas. Using too much too fast will surely lead you to an early grave.

I work on filling a couple of gas tanks for Mikasa and I, which feels like it takes forever. Not really, it only takes 2 minutes to fill each one, but time seems to be dragging on so slowly, like the Titans has completely taken over Trost by the time I'm done filling just one tank.

"Here," I say, handing the tank to Mikasa and starting on the next one. Mikasa moves up and starts filling tanks, which I assume is her trying to fill tanks for me.

"Thanks," She replies. "I'll fill some tanks for you."

"Oh, thanks," I sigh, relieved. "Filling these tanks feels like it's taking _forever_."

"No kidding."

"Armin?" Eren's voice catches my attention. "Hey, are you alright?"

Armin doesn't respond right away, fumbling with a gas tank himself.

"Oh, my God," He says finally, his voice shaking. "I can't believe it. The Titans have managed to infiltrate Trost. If they keep this up, they might even go past Wall Rose. At that point, we're all doomed! More people will die, and we'll be forced to barricade ourselves inside Wall Sina. Maybe even then, the Titans will finally wipe us out if they take over the last wall-"

"Armin, snap out of it!" Eren snaps, causing Armin to freeze in place. "I'm not letting that happen! We're trained soldiers, not little kids! At least, not anymore. As soldiers, we fight it tooth and nail to the very end. We're the ones who can prevent this from turning into a catastrophe, alright? Calm down. Worrying over this isn't going to do us any good."

To be honest, I'm not used to seeing these two fight like this. First off, Armin's not one to just lose it and freak out; he's a very level-headed person. And Eren seems to have changed since Military Academy, more willing to fight to his death than ever. Although what exchanged conversation Mikasa, Armin, and I proves that statement in more ways than one. To hear them argue like this actually shakes me up. And that's saying something.

Startled into silence, Armin just stares at Eren, wide-eyed. Then, slowly, he relaxes, though still tense. Mikasa just hands me my tanks in exchange for her other one.

"Sorry," he says in resignation, his voice hollow. "I let the stress of the situation get to me."

"It happens to the best of us, so don't worry about it," I interject, putting on my tanks and interrupting Eren. "I don't think that's the big issue, however, so I say we should file it away for later."

"O-okay then." Armin seems shocked but slightly uplifted by this comment. With nothing else to say, I end up smiling at him.

We are divided into 3 main groups of defense throughout Trost, as to keep the civilians safe for as long as possible: the front guard, consisting mainly of Garrison Regiment soldiers, the middle guard, with most of the 104th training corps, and the Rearguard; also with Garrison Regiment soldiers. The key here is to get most of the Titans wiped out. As carefully as possible, too, because there is lives at stake here. I get put in a squad with Krista, surprisingly enough. She seems excited about that, too.

"OMG!" She says, barely containing her excitement. "I can't believe it! _Can_ I believe it? We're actually fighting Titans for real!"

"Don't get cocky, Krista," I warn her. "Titans are serious business, remember? One little slip up and we could end up dead!"

This seems to bring her back down to earth. "Oh, right. Hey, Yuki? Do you remember the training lessons we had back at the Academy?"

I nod, bringing up memories from the lesson on the Titans specifically. The teacher had been teaching us technical things regarding Titans and how they work.

"A Titan's normal body temperature is around 80 or 90 degrees Celsius, depending on the Titan itself," The instructor told us. "It's vital to be careful when handling them. Judged on previous accounts of past encounters, Cannons were, at first, the primary tool for warding them off. However, this wasn't without its flaws, as it took multiple blows to actually rid ourselves of them. This mainly was because Titans could easily regenerate the body parts blown off in just 2 minutes and out of thin air."

After hearing this, there was much muttering going throughout the classroom when finally Marco spoke up. "Sir, so what you're saying that it's physically impossible to kill the Titans?"

"No, that's not true," the instructor said, much to everyone's relief. "There is in fact only one way to kill a Titan." He was drawing a figure of a Titan and drew a circle around the nape of its neck. "Strike here, and the Titan will be killed instantly, without its regeneration kicking in. This is also where these swords come in." He gestured to the swords on a table adjacent to him. "These swords are made extra durable and flexible, so they can be used as many times as you need to, or at least until they dull down and it takes much more effort than expected."

Suddenly I'm jolted out of Memory Lane thanks again to Krista, who waves a hand in front of my eyes. "Yuki? Earth to Yuki. Hey, are you OK?" She asks, concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I say automatically. "I was just having one of those 'dramatic flashbacks', so to speak."

"Oh, about the lesson, right? Yeah, me too." She smiles almost uncertainly. "Remember how they said that there was only one way to kill a Titan?"

"Yeah, what of it?"

"If we really only have one way of warding them off….do not you think we'll run out of supplies quickly?" She seems very worried now.

"Not too quickly, I'm sure," I reassure her. "Although I agree that would make me worried. This whole scenario, for example, fills me with nervous energy."

"I know, right? The fact of seeing Titans excites me and also makes me tense."

"Yeah, I know. I've never actually seen them, despite me being in the Shiganshina infiltration. I only heard their footsteps. But we're still ready, I'm sure. We've got this under control." My voice is a thousand times more confident than I feel.

"Yeah. Right." her voice trembles a little, though trying to muster courage. "We can do this." Then she leans in closer to me, and still in a tremulous voice, she whispers, "If your gas runs out, you can still use your wings, right? I'm really worried about you."

"I think I might be okay, but I'm afraid to use my wings because of what they might think of me once they SEE my wings, you get what I mean?"

"Oh, right. They may not react in the same way I did." She laughs, and her worries disappear for the time being. "Okay then."

"Come on, what'cha so worried about, Krista? We'll all be fine; we haven't gone through this training for nothing," I hear Ymir say behind us.

"Well, yeah, but-" Krista starts, getting cut off.

"But nothing!" Ymir interjects. "All we have to do is stick to the training down to the book. That shouldn't be hard, right?"

Before any of us can go on, someone yells, "3 Titans approaching from 12 o'clock!"

"Oops! looks like we're on, guys," I say. "Time to get started."

"Yeah. Hey, wanna see how many Titans we can wipe out?" Krista says, getting warmed up and ready.

"Hells yeah," I say, grinning. "Don't fudge your numbers, Krista."

To this, she laughs. "Same goes to you, Yuki."

"Come on, stop wasting time!" Connie cries out. "Let's go!"

I don't need to be told twice. Actually, if I did, I'd be long gone. I'm already running on the rooftops, almost unwilling to use my ODM gear yet. Except when I reach a large gap, I'm forced to use my ODM gear no matter what. Then, as I'm zip lining right next to Krista, I spot them, the Titans approaching us.

"They're right over there!" I warn my group, pointing to where I spotted them.

"I see em'." Krista nods, on the same page. "Ready?"

"Yeah, I'm ready. Let's blow their popsicle stand."

And just like that, Krista and I already know what we're doing. She moves up close to the Titans, catching their attention, but slips away at the last second. Then she and I move up behind the Titans and strike their weak spot. This continues for quite some time, getting tired all the Titans rampage stops partway through the day, leaving Krista and I to stop and land on a roof.

"So. Freaking. awesome!" She cries out.

"Great, job, Krista. Hi-five me." I say, sticking out my hand. She slaps it, still very excited. "3 down, way too many to go, doncha think?"

"Yeah, I almost can't believe it. The Titans are such a menace to our kind, and yet I still can't imagine how bad it must have been 5 years ago. You can, right?"

"Well, so-so," I say, shrugging. "I only saw part of it, and even then I was still scared to death. I wish I knew what it was like for Eren and the others."

"Oh, my!" she says, empathetic.

"Yeah, I know," I say, smiling a little.

Just then, a bloodcurdling scream halts us in our tracks. We stand there, frozen in place until it stops. Then Krista and I share a glance at each other.

Krista is the first to speak after that. "What was that?" she says, her voice sounding hollow.

"I'm….not sure, actually," I admit. "It was pretty freaky though." I point past a few rooftops. "I heard it from over there; why don't you get our squad rounded up and I'll go see what that was?"

"That sounds like a good plan," She says. "Okay, then, I'll get everyone else and I'll try to find you once you've found the source."

"Okay." I exchange my swords out, and get ready to search. "See you in a bit, Krista."

Before she can say goodbye, I take off (USING ODM GEAR OKAY, I STILL DON'T WANT THEM SEEING MY WINGS!) to search for the person that screamed.

It takes longer than I thought, because there are very many Titans still lurking (for some reason, though, they ignore me?) and the rooftops are _very_ similar-looking. However, Just when I think I won't be able to find the person, I do spot a figure in my perf. When I look closer at the figure, I realize that it's Armin. But what's he doing there, all alone? Out of curiosity, I decide to approach him carefully, in case I startle him or something.

Once I'm on the same rooftop, I try to get his attention. "Armin?" I ask.

No response. I try again, louder. "Hey, Armin, are you OK?"

Still no response. Clearly, something is wrong. Before I can try a third time, to be sure he actually heard me, I hear Krista in the distance. I look over to where I heard her voice, and, sure enough, there she is with our squadmates. I cry out to get their attention.

"Hey!" I call out, grabbing their attention. "Come over here! I found Armin here all alone, just sitting here!"

Far away, but still very audible for me, is Connie's voice. "The heck?" he replies. "Where's his squadmates?" Then they are on the rooftop that i was just on, sitting in front of where Armin is.

"I don't know," I answer to his question. "I just found him here, with no one around. I don't know what happened, but he isn't responding to me."

"Huh." Connie is the first one to join me on the rooftop. "He really hasn't said a word? Like, at all?"

"Nope. Trust me, I've tried already, but it hasn't done squat."

"I'll try, then; it shouldn't hurt to, am I right?"

"Yeah, you can try, I've no help in this case."

Now everyone in my squad has come onto this particular rooftop, searching for any signs of the missing squad. Although one thing is clear: No matter where we look, and no matter what could be preventing us from finding them, they just aren't there from a kilometer radius. It's very strange; they just disappeared without a trace.

"I don't get it," Krista says, very concerned now. "I don't get why they'd just not be here, you know?"

"Me neither, Krista," I sigh. "I mean, I know Eren was in his squad, so either they just left him here, which is VERY unlikely, or something happened to them." I turn to Connie. "Any luck getting him back to reality?"

"Not quite," Connie says, sounding kinda worried. "He still seems dazed."

"Hmmm." I stand next to Connie. "That's weird. Something must have caused him to end up like this."

"What do we do, then?" Connie asks me.

"We'll keep trying, he won't stay like this forever, you know." I move off to the side of Armin. "Did you try calling out his name? Or, like, trying to shake him a little?"

"Well, the second part, yes, but I haven't tried the other." Connie says thoughtfully. "Hmmm."

"Let's see." Connie shakes Armin lightly again. "Hey, Armin. Hey. Come on, come back to us, buddy."

Armin only stares blankly at Connie, still in that trance-like state. Connie tries harder. "Come on, Armin! Hey! Armin! WAKE UP!"

Somehow, that manages to get him out of his stupor. Armin blinks and looks around. "Huh? Oh, Connie," he says, clearly very confused and disoriented.

"Oh, thank God," Connie says, and I nod, agreeing with him. Connie continues, "Are you alright, Armin?"

"U-um…" Armin starts, still kind of confused.

"Are you hurt?" Connie presses. Then, "Hey, where is your squad?"

"Eh? My squad?" Armin stutters. _Oh dear,_ I think to myself. _This might not end well._

Connie doesn't stop, which adds to the problem. "Woah, you're covered in something," he notes unhelpfully. "What the hell _happened_ out here?"

"Connie!" I hiss in a whisper. "Cut it out! I don't think you're helping!"

I'm right; because Armin stops for a second, then looks as though he just witnessed some kind of massacre. "WAAGH!" he cries out. "You useless bastard! Die!"

"Oh, my God," I say hoarsely. "Armin, are you okay?"

"Armin, calm down," Connie adds. "I just wanted to know what happened."

"Isn't it obvious, Connie?" I say, realizing it myself, feeling like I just got stabbed.

"Connie, you idiot, she's right. It's obvious what happened," Ymir interjects. "The rest has been wiped out. Except him, of course." she sneers at Connie.

"Hey, you shut your mouth!" Connie says. "Armin didn't even say anything about it!"

"Look around, blockhead!" Ymir shouts. "Have you even seen the rest of them yet? It shouldn't be that hard to figure out. They probably assumed he was already dead or something like that."

"I guess that would explain why he's all alone…" I add, still confused by that part.

Ymir sighs. "Look, I'm sorry that he ended up encountering several Titans at once, but I don't see why we need to save him. He isn't worth it, in my opinion."

For some reason, that really strikes me the wrong way, but I fight down the urge to smack her or punch her. I don't want to add fuel to the fire.

Connie, however, doesn't think before he speaks. "Hey, you stupe, how 'bout I make it so you can't speak?"

"Everybody, _stop_ ," Krista pipes up, making everyone fall silent at once."Everybody is frazzled, there's really no need to start a fight. A lot of out friends are dead, so it should be normal to act like this, OK? There's really no need to fight over this."

Ymir laughs at this, and gives Krista a side hug. "That's my Krista! After this is over, you seriously need to marry me!"

"Dammit…" Connie says in a hushed voice. "She's clowning around more than usual, isn't she?"

"Yeah, it's so unlike her," I agree. "Anyway, I don't think it's fair just to leave him here, am I right?"

Connie laughs nervously. "Yeah, I wouldn't leave him here." Then he turns to Armin, who hasn't said a word since Connie and Ymir started arguing. "Hey, Armin, can you stand?" He asks.

For another second, Armin doesn't respond. Then, suddenly, Armin stands up, kinda answering Connie's question, and replies, "I'll join up with the rest of the Middle Guard!"

"Huh?" I say. "Armin, what-"

"I'll just go, sorry to cause you so much trouble," He says, sounding rushed, and rushes off.

"No, wait, Armin!" Connie calls out, but it's too late, he's already gone.

"Damnit." I say unnecessarily. "Now what?"

"Yuki, you should go after him," Krista says. "You know him better than any of us here, so maybe you could try talking to him."

"Yeah, you're right. OK, I'll go after him; I'll meet back up with you back over with the rest of the middle guard. Is that okay with the rest of you?" I ask the rest of them.

Nods from everybody in my squad. "OK, I'm off then."

"Good, luck, Yuki!" Krista calls out, and that's the last thing I hear as I search for where Armin went.


	9. Chapter 9

It feels like forever as I'm gliding through the air via the ODM gear JUST to find where Armin went, despite it being only 20 minutes. I spot him sitting against one of the houses, hunched over. In order not to startle him, I decide to hide, watching him in a dark corner. As I watch, I feel a thousand invisible knives drive into my skin at once, just watching his sorrow from a distance. Before I know what I'm doing, I hear myself whisper something to him, though he cannot hear me.

"Oh, no," I hear myself whisper. "I wish I could take that pain away, Armin. I'm so sorry."

As soon as I realize what I said, I cover my mouth, almost sure that he heard me, and try to stay silent. _Crap, what if he heard me? What do I do?_ I think, chiding myself. _Stay quiet, that way you won't blow your cover._

I watch as Armin's gaze shifts to someone else here. No, make that two someones. Hannah and Franz, except that Franz's body is halved, probably by a Titan.

"Hannah? It's not safe here, you need to get on a roof," Armin says, concerned.

"Armin?" Hannah asks, then realizes there's someone else here (Not me, though). "Help me, please! It's Franz, he won't wake up!"

"Hannah, seriously…" Armin starts again.

"I've tried everything, please," Hannah pleads. She tries again with CPR, which in this case wouldn't work at all.

"Hannah…" Armin croaks. "Please, stop….it's not doing any good….No good at all."

But Hannah persists, still attempting to revive Franz. Eventually, Armin leaves, either too depressed to continue or just on giving up reasoning with poor Hannah. Once it's clear, I climb up onto a roof and really assess the damage from the Titans.

Calling it bad would be a major understatement. There's not a word to describe how bad this is at all. The hole in the wall, blood spattered anywhere you gaze upon, dead soldiers (and some still alive) on the ground, broken tiles, etc…it's chaos. I wish I knew a better word for it, though, even chaos is an understatement. I know I can't stay here for long. I still have to move, and move is what I do. By the time I meet up with the rest of the middle guard, Armin is already there, sitting in the far corner of the group, not saying a word.

Jean spots me almost immediately and beckons me over. "Hey, Yuki, do you know what the situation is like? We can't get any info from _him,"_ He says, jabbing his thumb at Armin.

"Calling it 'bad' or chaos' is an understatement," I reply. "It's so much worse than we could imagine. Most of the front guard has been wiped out, mostly out of exhaustion or because of Titans. There's also debris everywhere; like broken shards of tiles and spattered blood everywhere. There's no way to tell if anyone has or has not survived the onslaught. To top it all off, the obvious issues: we're starting to run low on gas and Titans are flooding in as we speak." I slump down into a sitting position, sighing.

Then, the order for temporary evacuation spreads fast throughout Trost, but none of us move.

"Damn, you're right," Jean says, cursing. "Well, any ideas on what we should do?"

He says it almost nonchalantly, but the look in his eyes says otherwise.

"I wish I did had any ideas, because then we wouldn't be stuck in this rut," I sigh. "It's just getting worse and worse. Without our ODM gear, we're screwed!"

"Yeah, I know, right?" Connie agrees. "This is so bad, dammit. I can't believe we've just used up our gas just like that. " He hits the side of his ODM gear. "If we use any more, we're sure to be dead and done! This is all so crazy!"

"Now that the evac signal has been sounded, we could try, but it's not like we'd get far." Jean sighs heavily. "It was a boring life."

"Come on, we can't give up just yet!" Sasha exclaims suddenly. "We might be able to make to HQ, right? We've just gotta try!"

"That's very optimistic of you, Sasha," I say, cracking a weak smile. We all know we're not likely to live, so no one moves.

"Come on, Yuki? Armin?" She presses. Armin still doesn't move, having all of his will sucked right out of him.

Suddenly, a loud _clank!_ startles me. I turn around to see Mikasa landing on the roof. But what's she doing here? Wasn't she assigned to rear guard? The very sight of her, wearing her signature red scarf and ready for action, shocks me. Almost automatically, I stand from where I was sitting. "Mikasa? What are you doing here?" I ask her.

"Oh, Yuki! Thank goodness," Mikasa rushes up to me. "I didn't know you were here."

"Yeah, well, I notice that information doesn't always reach everyone all the time."

"I see." She says, nodding. "Listen, I don't like to bring personal matters into a situation like this, but have you seen Armin anywhere?"

"Oh, Armin?" I echo. "Yeah, he's over there, if you needed him." I point out where he is.

"Thanks. Come on." She waves her hand, signaling me to follow her, and we head over to where Armin is.

"Hey, Armin, are you okay?" Mikasa asks him once she's close enough.

Armin, silent as the grave this whole time, just nods, almost unwilling to speak.

"Where's Eren?" Mikasa asks next. This is the exact question I wanted to know but was afraid to ask him.

Armin glances up and locks his eyes on Mikasa, with tears threatening to spill over. Mikasa returns the gaze, except with far more calm than him. His voice breaks as he speaks the dreaded words: "In the training corps squad 34...Thomas Wagner, Nac Tius, Mylius Zeramuski, Mina Carolina, Eren Yeager…. Those five carried out their mission and died bravely in battle."

"Oh, my God," I whisper, barely able to speak any higher. I steal a glance at Mikasa, whose eyes have widened in shock, unable to speak temporarily.

"I'm so sorry, Mikasa…" Armin chokes out. "Eren gave his life in order to save mine."

There's a grim silence for another minute. Then, Mikasa moves closer to him, taking his hand. "Armin," She says finally. Armin only stares at her. "Calm down. This is no time to be getting sentimental. Now, stand up!" She pulls Armin to his feet. Then he shares a glance at me. Of course, not knowing what's going on, I can only shrug, not sure what Mikasa is doing. She then walks over to Reiner.

"Hey, Reiner," she begins, "Don't you think we might be able to make it to HQ _and_ kill Titans at the same time? If we hurry, we might be able to fill up our tanks!"

"What?" Reiner seems genuinely shocked. "That's impossible with the amount of gas we have left! We're not likely to survive a meter's distance away!"

"If you plan on being weak, go right ahead," Mikasa snaps. "All of you, if you feel weak, go ahead and just stay. I'm strong. Stronger than any of you, stronger than any of the Titans. I'll wipe out all the Titans, just you try me!"

"But, Mikasa! You'll die out there!" Marco protests, persisting for the others.

"If I die, I lose. If I fight, I may win. But I can't win unless I fight." With that as her last words said to the group, she takes off.

Everyone stares in shock. Then, I hear Jean mutter something to himself, though I can't make it out. Then he shouts, "Hey! Were we taught to just let one of us go off on his or her own? Let's get going!" He, too, takes off after Mikasa.

"Hey eggheads!" Sasha calls next. "Come on already!"

One by one, the rest of the group advances with Mikasa in the lead, Including me and Armin. I can't just leave her behind anyway, she's one of my best friends. I zipline on after them, mostly with the rear Cadets. It doesn't take long for me to notice how fast Mikasa is going. Connie notices as well. "Woah, how'd she get so fast?" he asks, amazed. "She's incredible!"

"Uh, yeah, but I don't think she's using her gas wisely?" I say feebly. "I'm kinda worried."

The prediction is correct; about 10 seconds after I say this, Mikasa runs out of gas and begins falling to the ground.

"Oh no, Mikasa!" Armin cries. "Yuki, come on, we gotta go find her!"

"Okay," I reply. "I think she fell over this way." I point in the direction I saw her fall, and he and I change our course.

"Dammit!" Armin curses. "I knew it, she was trying to hide her grief by being reckless with her gas. Speaking of which, I think you're at a safe distance where you can use your wings without worry so you can save your gas."

"Are you sure?" I ask.

Armin nods. "It might be better for you anyway."

Carefully, I try unfurling my wings. Almost as soon as they're fully outstretched, the wind drafts fill underneath them and I'm suddenly thrown upwards. " _Yow!_ " I yell, trying to get back down to my normal altitude. While I do, I spot Mikasa about a few meters away. When I'm back to about Armin's level, he says, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, but I did spot Mikasa, over there, about 10 meters away give or take," I say in reply, pointing in front of us. "Be careful, she seems quite dazed."

"Alright, I'll go after her, You keep an eye out over on that roof, okay?" He says, already enacting his command.

"You got it." I move off to the roof, wincing as my landing isn't exactly smooth, braking on even more roof tiles, causing them to break. Ugh. At least I landed before Mikasa and Armin, otherwise there would have been a pending disaster. They also crash onto the roof, though not as many broken tiles this time.

"Oof," Armin mutters, then to Mikasa, "Mikasa, you're not hurt, are you? Are you okay?"

"...I'm fine," Mikasa says slowly, seemingly unsure of what just happened.

Suddenly, Connie flies in out of nowhere, landing hard as well. Now the party's started, it seems. "Hey, are you guys alright?" He asks, then adds, "We're in for some trouble, anyway. There are two 15-meter class Titans right over there. If that isn't bad, I don't know what is!"

"No. Wait," Mikasa stops Connie before he can continue his tangent. She points at one of the Titans, one that looks incredibly like Eren. "That Titan's different from any of the other Titans."

"Huh?" That one sentence weirds me out. "What do you mean, different? Wouldn't that mean that it's an Abnormal?"

"Not in this case, Yuki," Mikasa begins, and before she can go on, the Titan who looks like Eren roars at the Titan before it, who roars in reply. Then, something even more strange happens. The Rouge Titan (what I've decided to dub the Eren-looking Titan) brings his fists up, preparing for a fight, and throws a fist against the Titan's neck, snapping it clean off.

"What?!" Armin says, at the same time I yell, " _Duck_!"

No one argues, immediately dropping and covering their heads, just as the titan head smashes into a bell tower near us. Upon impact, it breaks into several pieces, though none of it lands on us. Glancing back, I watch the Rogue Titan deliver a final blow, stomping on the Titan's neck.

"What the?" Armin asks aloud, shocked. "It finished the job? So it knew the weak point…?"

"I could also sense it had knowledge of martial arts," Mikasa adds.

"That's strange. What the heck is that Titan, anyway?" I finish for them.

"I don't know, but for now, we've got to assume it's an Abnormal. Besides, we've gotta get going," Connie grits his teeth and begins to advance, stopping when Armin speaks up.

"Hold on!" he cries out. "Mikasa is out of gas! She won't be able to move!"

Connie stops and stares wide-eyed at Mikasa. "Wait, are you serious?" he says. "How are we gonna get to HQ without you? What do we do?"

"There's only one thing _to_ do, and it's pretty obvious," Armin says, getting into action right away. "Mikasa, I want you to trade gas tanks with me."

"Armin, I can't-" Mikasa begins.

"Just do it, okay?" he snaps, cutting her off. "I know I don't have much either, but please, use it wisely this time."

With nothing left to do, Mikasa lets him change out her gas tanks, making Armin unable to move using ODM gear.

"Okay, that's good, your ODM gear still works," Armin says about a minute later. "I also replaced your swords, so you can fight the Titans." He looks down at the broken piece of a sword held in his hand. "Just…..please let me save this one for me. The last thing I want is to be eaten alive…" He adds uneasily. I just watch in shock. What is he implying here? Please don't tell me what I think he means is true.

Mikasa, however, does the complete opposite. She stands up, takes the sword out of his hand and tosses it to the ground as if they were merely talking about the news. I'm still watching out of shock, trying to comprehend the situation myself.

"Mikasa, why? Why did you-" Armin starts, surprised.

"Armin, I'm not leaving you here alone," Mikasa says bluntly, interrupting him.

"But you can't fly around carrying someone when there are so many Titans," Armin stammers. "I mean….okay, maybe someone could, but still, there are Titans everywhere!"

"Yeah, well, we're not leaving anyone behind," Connie says. "Mikasa, Yuki, let's go!"

Mikasa grabs Armin by the arm and starts running behind Connie. I run next to Mikasa, also behind Connie. Before we even get off the roof, though, Armin stops us.

"Wait! I have a plan!" He shouts, prying Mikasa's grip off of him. Connie and I skid to a halt immediately. Mikasa lets go of him, and we all do a turnaround.

"You have a plan?" I say, already intrigued. How did he come up with one so quickly?

"I know, that was pretty uncalled for, but listen to me," Armin says. "I'm not the one in charge, so you three get to call the shots. This might sound crazy, but I think that Titan might be useful. At least, to us, I mean."

"You're right, that does sound kinda crazy," Connie says. "It also doesn't sound possible. How do you figure that?"

"Well, this particular Titan pays no attention to us," Armin explains. "Instead, it heads for other Titans and starts attacking them. So what if we got rid of the rest of the Titan straying around Trost? Don't you think it'll draw it to HQ where it'll start attacking other Titans?"

"So, basically, what you're saying is that since it doesn't try to attack us, We should get rid of any Titans near it," I say thoughtfully. "That way, we can lure it to HQ and it'll wipe the other Titans off the board."

"Exactly." Armin nods.

"It's as good a plan as any," Mikasa agrees. "Although I have to ask the obvious question: How do you plan on this working? I already told you, I'm not leaving you behind."

"I don't think that will be a problem, at least not for you," Armin replies easily. "Connie, please don't freak out, okay?"

"I'll try not to, why?" Connie asks.

"Because this is hard to explain without showing you. Yuki, do you think you'll be able to carry me?" Armin says, turning to me

"Uh...maybe? I don't think I've ever tried," I stumble on the words. "Are you sure that's a good idea? I don't want to freak people out."

"Just show him, okay? We'll try to explain later," Armin tells me.

"Well...okay, if you're sure." I unfurl my wings cautiously. Mikasa remembers almost immediately and says, "Oh, yeah, now it makes sense," While Connie's eyes widen to the size of, um, dinner plates. "Oh, wow," He says. "That's incredible."

"Yeah, I know," I say, smiling sheepishly. "I don't usually do this, but I knew it was inevitable in the first place, heh." My face flushes in embarrassment.

"I'll let Yuki carry me, and you two can focus on wiping out the other Titans ahead," Armin continues. "It shouldn't be too far from the HQ, so you won't have to carry me for too long, okay?"

"Sounds good," I say nodding.

"This is still crazy, but what the hell, let's go for it," Connie says. "Let's see what this Titan is really made of."

"Are you ready, Yuki?" Armin asks.

"I guess so?" I say. "To be honest, this is the first time I've carried a person, so I'm a little nervous. I'm afraid I might drop you."

"That's okay," He says almost immediately. "It really won't be that far, anyway, so don't worry."

"Uh, okay?" I say, still a little uneasy. Armin gets even closer, threatening to make me blush in embarrassment, and lets me pick him up (Trying not to blush here, I swear. OMG).

"Seriously, Yuki, it's okay," He reassures me. "Let's go."

"Alright, if you're sure," I say, nodding for the others to get a head start. Mikasa and Connie run to the edge and start ziplining. Then, after about three seconds, give or take, Also carrying Armin, I jump off the roof myself and let my wings take us into the air.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: An unexpected turn

Well, carrying a human, let alone my best friend, is a LOT harder than I originally thought. Then again, considering I am a heck of a lot lighter than normal people and built differently (lovely genetic science at work here, eh?) than normal people as well, it should be no surprise to me. But somehow, I end up still practically straining myself to even carry Armin. I probably will need to practice carrying people more often, I think. Strangely, I manage to stay close enough to see Connie and Mikasa, but not so close that I am bumping into them, like, every eight seconds.

Armin can clearly see that I'm struggling. "Are you alright?" He asks me.

"I'm okay," I gasp in a breath. "I told you I've never actually done this before. I guess this kinda proves my original statement, huh?"

Armin laughs nervously. "Yeah, you're right. Do you think you'll end up doing this again sometime?"

"I don't really know for sure right now, but I might. Right now, I want to focus on getting us out of here ALIVE."

"Oh, yeah, true."

"Hey, Yuki!" Connie shouts from about a few feet away. "Ready to head to HQ? Mikasa and I got rid of the Titans around Trost; now that Titan will have no choice but to head there himself!"

"Yeah, let's make sure we're all in one piece, okay?" I call back. "We don't need ourselves getting any more hurt than we are now."

"I agree," Mikasa adds. "Let's get going. Besides, that Titan is getting a head start for those Titans, it might give us a good clearing."

"Alrighty then, let's move," Connie says, and he, Mikasa, and I turn for the direction of HQ.

"Yuki, I have a question," Armin says, tugging at my sleeve to get my attention. "How do you even plan on getting into HQ? Not trying to insult you, but your wings are fairly large and might get in the way."

"Yeah, you're right," I agree, keeping my wings at a coasting position. "Honestly, I didn't think about it until now, but I could fold my wings in at the last second before I crash through a window. It's crazy, I know, but it could work if I do it a little bit early."

"Hmmm. You're right, it does sound crazy, but with you, it shouldn't be a problem," Armin says thoughtfully. "Just in case, I think you should do it at least 3 seconds before our little 'crash landing', for lack of a better term."

"Yeah, that's true, I don't want any more catastrophic issues than we've already had."

By this time, we're really close to HQ. I quietly mutter a short prayer and silently count down from ten. When I reach 3, as quickly as possible, I fold in my wings. "Armin, prepare yourself!" I shout, squeezing my eyes shut and ducking my head. I hear a crash in front of me and feel my feet make contact with hardwood flooring about a second later. Opening my eyes and looking around, I look upon a room totally destroyed. One side is completely open, likely from a Titan. Tables, chairs, books, anything not bolted in place is scattered everywhere, and shards of glass are also present. Armin slips out of my grasp (not like I was holding him tight any longer anyways,) and looks around himself.

"Whew, we made it," Connie gasps. "I was running on fumes there. That was a good call there." Turning to Armin, he says, "I can't believe it. It actually worked! Great job! From now on, I'm considering your word as law!" As he says this, he smacks Armin on the back, causing him to say "Ouch!" softly.

"I agree," I say, relieved. "Phew, that was real close back there."

"What the hell is going on?" Jean demands. "How are you still alive, Mikasa? And also, Yuki, What the hell is that?" he adds, pointing at my wings.

Connie points in a reply. "Look at this thing go!" He exclaims. "See that Titan over there? He attacks other Titans as though he has a bone to pick on them. And the best part, it cares nothing about us!"

"And yes, I have wings, Jean," I add. "It wasn't obvious to you because I hid them during our training."

Jean just gapes at us in shock. Finally, he protests, "That's impossible. All of this is just very impossible."

"Like it or not, we've got a Titan _and_ a winged person on our side," Mikasa retorts. "That Titan's stronger than average. It can handle fighting a lot of Titans at once. And Armin and I have known Yuki for a long time; she can help us. She won't turn on us, and that's good enough for me. It's basically our best bet of survival."

This, of course, shuts Jean up. He has no argument left on his side.

"Come on, guys, our work's not done yet," Connie beckons. "We still have to deal with Titans _inside_ HQ, after all."

"Wow, I never knew how strong that Titan really is," Connie remarks when we're further inside HQ. "It makes all the other Titans look like weaklings!"

"Yeah, you're right," I say, nodding. "For now, that's all we have to work with. I don't know how long that will last, or if he'll turn on us, but at least we have a little bit of time."

"Working on borrowed time from a Titan," Reiner says. "Well, at least we know how many Titans we're dealing with inside now. It helps to calm our nerves, at least. So, how much do you four know about that Titan anyway?"

"Uhm, shouldn't we wait until we're safe from those Titans to be worrying about that?" Connie says. "I can understand if you want information, I just don't think now is the time."

"Heh...yeah, you're right, Connie, our safety comes first," I say wryly, smiling a little.

"Found em'!" Jean says suddenly, getting everyone's attention. "Military Police-grade guns….ugh, and covered in a layer of dust. Wonder if the MP didn't even bother coming back here at all…Anywho, let's each take a gun."

All of us, at least 3 at a time, take an MP-grade gun and load it up with bullets. It can fire bullets very fast, rapid-fire, so it might help.

"Not to be annoying," Jean starts up again, "But do you think that buckshot will even do anything against the Titans? Seriously, guns against Titans?"

"...Well, I think it will be better than nothing," Armin replies slowly. "Besides, even with this degree of firepower, it won't be impossible to incapacitate the seven 3-4 meter class Titans that are inside the supply room, and at all the same time, so we at least have something to work with."

Nods from everyone, having understood the situation we're facing already.

"Alright, then," Armin continues, looking back at the map laid out on the floor. "First, we'll have several people brought down to the Titan's eye level to get their attention, with the guns, of course. Assuming that all of these Titans are "normals", then we should grab their attention by a lot of people. Next, when the Titans are in close proximity, the people in the lift will fire at them simultaneously, blinding them and making sure they can't see anything, at least for a few moments." He pauses for a second, obviously hesitant. "Then….then the hard part comes in. Seven people that would be hiding near the ceiling will swoop down at the Titans all at once, and slice the weak point. It might be best to get a running start for that, too. The goal here is to strike all the Titans simultaneously, killing them all at once. We screw up, and we're dead for sure. We're going to need the seven most athletic and competent Cadets for the strike, so you'll end up in the ceiling. Sorry, I can't see any other way around it."

"Ahhh, it's not such a big deal," Reiner says.

"If you really get down to it, everyone's taking part in making sure we survive," Annie adds. "I don't see a problem."

"Look, I'll willingly back down with this idea," Armin says, a hint of worry in his voice. "I mean, to be honest, this is a pretty half-baked plan, so if anyone has better ideas, please speak up."

"I don't think we have any other ideas," Marco laughs nervously. "We've got to go with this one. If anything, it is still a plan. Besides, don't cut yourself so short, I'm sure you're pretty good at this. We're just gonna have to throw ourselves into this one with heart and soul."

Then Mikasa jumps in on this. "It'll be alright, Armin. You have the capability to lead others in the right direction. Actually, this ability has saved my life, and Eren's, too."

"What?" Armin is genuinely confused. "It has? When?"

"You might not be aware of it now, but I'll explain later. We've got to get going," Mikasa says, heading off with the other athletic Cadets already heading to the ceiling rafters.

"Do you have any idea what she means?" Armin asks me as we head onto the lift.

"Well, not in her shoes, no," I answer honestly. "But she has a point. You've helped us in more ways than I can count."

"When?" Armin repeats.

"Why else would I be here?" I smile. "If not your hospitality several years ago, I might either be dead or far away in a place that no one can reach, like for experimentation. Ugh, I can't bear to think of that. I would much rather be eaten alive by a Titan than to have to deal with it."

"Uh, okay then?" Armin says, even more confused. "We should talk about this later, though, we might get too distracted."

"Yeah, let's focus on the matter at hand."

The lift shudders and creaks before slowly making its creaky descent. _Must have been not used for a long time for it to be this way,_ I think to myself. Either way, it smoothly descends to the correct position, where the Titan's eyes should be.

"Oh, good," I hear Armin whisper. "Still seven Titans. That's a good sign."

"Yep," I mutter under my breath.

The sound of guns being loaded to fire and aimed to fill the air as the people inside the lift point their guns out in all directions. Then, I hear it: The slow dull thud of the Titan's feet. They're heading towards the lift. I see one of the Titans appear into our vision, staring ahead at nothing for a moment. Then it suddenly swerves to meet our gazes, and one of the soldiers whimpers through his teeth.

"Calm down!" Another soldier, probably Marco, yells. "Let them get closer!"

Everything seems to slow down as the Titans creep even closer. 3…...2….1…..

"FIRE!" A third soldier yells.

We don't hesitate, and everyone at once fires directly at the Titan's' eyes. For a few seconds, all you can hear is the popping noises of bullets being fired. Then there's a bit of a silence as the guns' ammunition runs out. The Titans move back a half-step, moving their hands to their eyes, which are now blown to smithereens. All at once, the seven soldiers up in the rafters slice the Titan's neck with ease, and most of the Titans are dead. Two of them, with their eyes, fully regenerated, turn to face Connie and Sasha, clearly not having killed them.

"Oh, my god, I'm sorry," Sasha whimpers. "I-I didn't mean to…."

"Oh, crap," Connie says. "I have awful luck. Crap!"

"Hey, guys! We need help!" Reiner says to those who have not put two and two together yet. "Connie and Sasha missed!"

"Crap, no!" I hiss in a breath. Before I can actually think about the risk I'm taking, I find myself on the ground and immediately rushing to Connie and Sasha. "Guys, RUN! Don't stop and stare at them, RUN!" I say, pulling them to their feet and getting them to run. Just in time, too, as the Titans make a lunge for us, missing us by a hair and landing with an incredibly loud thud.

"Yuki got them away to safety!" I hear someone call out as the sound of blades slicing through Titan flesh. Turning, I see Mikasa and Annie managed to kill the Titans.

"Wow, that was nerve-racking," Connie says shakily. "That was close."

"Ya think?" I say, rolling my eyes. "If it was just a second longer, we'd both be Titan cow right now. Mikasa, thanks for getting those Titans. How's Sasha?"

"She's all right, no injuries," Mikasa says, helping Sasha to her feet. "We did it. Thank God."

Before Mikasa can finish her sentence, the other soldiers are already at the floor, almost seeming way too excited, but still totally appropriate for this scene. Immediately Mikasa gets us out of the way, avoiding getting run over by the tens of hundreds of soldiers advancing to restock and get the heck outta here. After they finally disperse, Mikasa lets us go.

"Best not to get us flattened, right?" She says, winking at us. "Wouldn't do much good for the military, anyway." Here she laughs a little.

"You got that right," I admit, laughing and shaking my head. "Without the Cadets, there is no one to join any of the three Regiments, and without that, there _are no_ Regiments. But, I digress; now we need to restock our blades, get more gas, and move out."

Mikasa nods in agreement, and we move farther into the HQ's supply room, first restocking on gas and then blades. I'm giving Mikasa a few blades, then taking a few for my own ODM gear, when Armin shows up.

"Hey there," he says, smiling. "That was quite the rescue you made back there, Yuki."

"Not to mention very careless, but yeah, it was very daring," I say sheepishly. "I should have been more careful about what I was doing, though, mainly because that could've ended very badly."

"It's good to see you concerned about your actions," Armin agrees, nodding. "I didn't think it was out of character, but at the same time, it did seem bold. Your mind was in the right place, though, trying to get the others away from those Titans."

Confused, I try rewording what the heck he just said. "So, you mean it was risky but somehow still well-meant?"

"Exactly. It feels right at the time, but afterward, you're wondering if you did the right thing."

"Yeah, I can see that," I say after a moment, staring off into space for a moment, lost in thought. The doors that lead out of HQ and outside are open, so it's safe to assume that most of the soldiers are gone already. It would certainly explain the sudden disappearance of the soldiers now. "Looks like everyone else is outside already."

"Come on, then, let's get going," Armin says, heading outside himself. I follow him out to see most of the soldiers heading to the wall - well, for a chance to evacuate, I'm sure. The only remaining soldiers are Marco, Jean, Reiner, Annie, Bertolt, Mikasa, Armin, Connie, and me. The others had already left. Mikasa is on the roof, looking over at something, but since the house obscures anything surrounding it, I can't see what it is. Everyone else is still grounded.

"What's she looking at?" Reiner finally asks out loud.

"I'm not sure," Bertolt replies, "but it doesn't seem good."

Without saying anything, Armin zip lines to the roof, and about a second later I follow him.

"Mikasa, what's wrong?" Armin asks, then looks ahead and gasps.

I decide to look as well, although I try not to gasp. I'll try to spare you the gruesome details, but for the most part what I'm seeing is Titans surrounding the Rogue Titan, and it appears that they are eating him. Oh, gross.

"What the heck?" Armin whispers hoarsely. "Cannibalism?"

"Looks like it," I whisper back. By now everyone else has come up onto the roof to witness the carnage. Probably lots of shocked or disgusted faces, but everyone's eyes stay firmly locked on the scene in front of us.

Reiner is the first to speak after a moment of stunned silence. "What the hell is going on?"

No one answers for a moment. Then, Connie says, "Shouldn't he be regenerating? Why isn't he?"

"I-I don't know," Mikasa replies. "Has he exhausted all of his strength so he _can't_ heal?"

"Well, whatever the situation going on with him, we've got to get him outta there," Connie declares, taking out one of the new blades he replenished himself with.

"Are you _crazy?!_ " Jean demands in agitation. "We can't rescue a Titan! That's a one-way ticket to your death!"

"Think about it, though," Annie says cooly, the only one with a stolid expression. "Having a Titan on our side could be a major advantage. In fact, rescuing this Titan means that there's an improvement for science, weaponry, the like. Seems like a pretty good deal to me."

Jean has no comeback for that argument. Before anyone moves, through, another sound, though dull at first, catches the attention of Armin. Immediately he spots the source of this sound and cries out, "Oh, no! It's the Titan that ate Thomas!"

This is enough to make everyone else look over. Judging from appearance alone, it appears to be an Abnormal, and at least a 10-meter one on top of that. It seems that the Rouge Titan recognizes it as well because he roars and lunges straight for it, shaking off several Titans in the process, as well as losing his arms. Before the Abnormal has any time to react, the Rouge Titan lunges at its neck with his jaws, chomping off the weak spot and killing it for good. Tossing the Abnormal to the side, the Titan roars again, not unlike a battle cry.

"Hey, what was that about sparing this Titan?" Jean says nervously, clearly afraid that the Titan might turn on us. As though it was finally done its job, the Titan collapses nearest the roof we stand on, completely still. Then there is silence for a minute or two.

"Well, not surprisingly," Connie sighs finally, "it looks like this Titan reached his limit."

"No doubts there," I agree. "He might have been running on fumes for a while, for all we know."

"Anyways, we've gotta get outta here," Connie says dismissively, and then he turns back to Mikasa, about to let her know, but stops short. Now Mikasa stares at the corpse of the Rouge Titan, obviously deep in shock. Looking down at her, I notice something...off about the Titan's corpse. Right at the weak spot, where most of the Titans are sliced at, it appears there is something moving _inside_ of the neck, like something living. And then….something even stranger happens. The flesh breaks away to reveal Eren inside. Yes, you heard me right. Eren Yeager, all flesh-and-blood, not a single scratch on him, emerges from inside the Titan's neck. The very shocking scene here, ladies and gents. I thought he was eaten! What the heck!?

Lost in my clouded thoughts, I barely even register Mikasa moving off the roof and towards Eren as fast as her ODM gear allows her to. Within a matter of seconds, she is on the ground and hugging Eren like he is her lifeline. I jump off the roof and watch from a safe distance in case she suddenly lashes out. But instead of yelling at us, she starts to cry, which is the most surprising thing I have seen. Yes, it isn't Eren emerging from the Titan, or Armin telling us that his squadmates were killed in battle, it's the fact that Mikasa is _crying_ that surprises me the most out of today's events.

Now, of course, would be a good time to run up and help her. Sprinting towards her, I can see that it's no elaborate prank pulled on us, it really is Eren that we're seeing here. Speechless, I look back up at Mikasa, whose dark gray eyes lock onto my icy blue ones. "Mikasa," I whisper to her softly, "We need to get you and Eren to safety. Think you can handle that for now?"

Mikasa stares at me blankly for a moment, then nods slowly, tears still streaming down her face.

"Okay, then. I'm going to try and pull Eren free from here, but first things first. We need to free him so we can get him out of here. Can you find a way to cut his limbs free?"

Mikasa nods again, and carefully cuts off the Titan flesh that binds Eren to the corpse. Then, she finally speaks. "He's free," She says quietly. "You can get him up onto the roof now, and I'll follow you."

I don't question this, knowing how much emotions must be crashing over her again and again. Straining a bit, I pull Eren out of the remains of the Titan and bring him up onto the roof, the only place of safety at the moment. Oddly enough, with all the soldiers surrounding Eren like this, I feel almost as though I was the Grim Reaper or something. Mikasa follows shortly after, and resumes her earlier position, holding Eren close to her.

Any emotions that did not show themselves before suddenly hit me harder than anything before, realizing the weight of the situation at hand. Dropping next to Mikasa, I try to comfort her, rubbing her back and staring at Eren's face for the first time in what seems like ages. Armin only watches for a while, probably lost in thought and amazement how Eren could possibly be here. Then, he finally drops down alongside Mikasa and I, taking Eren's hand and whispered quietly, "Eren, what the hell happened to you?"

No answer comes forth, seeing that Eren is unconscious, and rightfully so if he was really the Titan that just fought off the rest. The last thought that only persists is this: What on earth has happened to him in the time that I haven't seen him?

* * *

 **Author's Note: Whew, that took longer than expected! I hope that it will never be as long as that again. I've been considering starting a FaceBook blog for Yuki, so if you guys are interested, I should be posting before long. The next chapter should move along more smoothly than the last, and so be sure to tune in soon for the next chapter! ^^**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Everything all at once

"Well, this is a fine load of crap," I mutter, annoyed at the current situation.

"No kidding," Mikasa whispers back to me, nodding.

Shoot-I've done it again; just left you guys in the dust. It's really hard to explain, though. All I know what happened is that after we recovered Eren, we were transported here, behind Wall Rose. Are we supposed to be executed? Interrogated? Something worse? I have no clue, and frankly, I can't worry about it now. It's the kind of thing that is being thrown at the four of us-Well, okay, make that three as Eren somehow is still unconscious. The general from the beginning of the attack on Trost is there, waiting for something, though I'm not really sure why or how. Armin kneels behind Mikasa and me, trying to get Eren to come to his senses. I sneak a glance behind me to see them now, looking at Eren's face. His eyes are half-opened, probably half-conscious now, so Armin's attempts must be working. However, he still doesn't notice anything around him, otherwise, the next line he speaks wouldn't have freaked us out.

"...I'm gonna kill you all," He says quietly, a very devilish smile on his face and creeping the heck out of me. _He's not himself,_ I think to myself in shock and realization. _He's in his own little world right now._

Armin looks very scared himself. He tries again one final time, still very shocked. "E-Eren?" he whispers hoarsely.

For a few seconds, there is no response. Then, slowly, Eren regains consciousness. Opening his eyes, he blinks. Then, he suddenly bolts upright, though he can't actually stand, and looks around, wide-eyed and very confused.

"Huh?!" he cries out.

"Well now, glad to see you're awake, Eren," I sigh with relief.

"Hey, Eren, can you stand?" Armin says, still nervous and shaken.

Eren doesn't answer, instead asking, "What's going on, you guys?"

As if answering his question, seeing that Eren is finally awake, the general booms, "Eren Yeager! Everyone is awaiting your answer!"

Eren flinches at the sound and takes a long, level look at the scene before us. "I don't understand! What do you mean?" He yells finally, trying to get any level of knowledge.

"The question is simple, don't play stupid with me!" the general screams back. "Are you a man? Or a Titan?"

Eren hesitates further, still not getting the picture at all. "I…." He begins, then tries again. "I don't understand the question!"

"Don't play a fool, Cadet!" the general says. "Everyone watched you coming out of a Titan's carcass! Time is of the essence! Several unknown Titans are pouring in as we speak, probably just like you! If the Armored Titan breaks through the wall, humanity is done for! I'll blow you to bits on the spot!" Obviously, he's way too frightened to think things clearly.

"It's obvious that they are defiant," the general's assistant says stiffly. "We should just kill them now. It won't matter in the end anyways."

Suddenly, the rest of the Garrison soldiers chip in with their rebuttals, mixing and mingling within each other's voices. Mikasa takes a step forwards, brandishing her swords in a very menacing matter.

"My specialty is slicing through flesh," She says darkly, making me feel nervous. "If necessary, and if you so wish, I can demonstrate this talent on any of you, if you dare take one more step closer towards him."

As the other soldier closest to the general's other side whispers something to him, Armin tries to reason with a very pissed off Mikasa. "W-what are you saying?" he stammers. "You c-can't just harm another s-soldier like that!"

"They take one more step towards Eren, I fight," She growls, not taking her eyes off of them.

"T-they're probably just scared," Armin says. "That would be n-natural for anyone to not be thinking straight if t-they're scared…."

"Mikasa, please don't," I say, my voice sounding hollow (A major surprise for me, I can tell you that). "I don't think we have any options like that for us."

"I'LL GIVE YOU ONE MORE CHANCE, YEAGER!" The general bellows, startling the three of us into silence. "What are you?!"

Eren hesitates further still, looking down at himself before giving the general the most honest answer he can.

"I'm…..human." He states as firmly as possible, as though to reassure himself that he indeed was human.

Dead silence for what seems like an eternity.

Then, finally, the general speaks in such a grave voice that shivers run up my spine faster than you can say 'Molasses in January.' "I see then…." he says dully. "Don't take this personally, then…..We can't prove that he's not the devil himself…."

I just gawk in stunned silence for a minute. Hadn't we done everything right? What makes it so that he decides to kill us anyways?

Suddenly, Mikasa tugs me sharply closer to the corner, snapping me out of silence. "Mikasa?!" I cry out in surprise.

"Eren! Armin! Yuki! We'll escape over the wall!" Mikasa screeches loudly.

"What?! No, don't!" Eren yells back. "Get away from me! The three of you, get away!"

"Oh, crap!" Armin says about the same time Eren starts yelling. "Look!"

I look up instinctively and gasp, cursing under my breath. "They planned for it, dammit," I say hoarsely. "What do we do?"

"P-please, just listen to us!" Armin stammers out to the Garrison soldiers. "W-we'll tell you everything we know, please!"

The general doesn't seem to be listening. Mikasa drags me closer to Eren and Armin, trying to think of a way out, as I am at the moment. There seems to be nowhere to go, they'd blocked all the possible escape routes beforehand, and even with my wings, they would shoot me down without a second thought. So even I couldn't escape even if I wanted to (not that I'd want to leave my friends behind, of course, because that would be rather selfish).

Suddenly, Eren drags Mikasa and Armin away. "Yuki!" He yells at me. "Come here and duck!"

"What?!" I screech.

"Just do it!"

Immediately, I slide as close to Eren as I can and duck down close to the ground. Another second passes, and then something similar to an explosion rings in my ears.

 **KRACKATOOM!**

Screams from the Garrison Regiment. A blast of incredibly hot air. The ever-present feeling of being underneath something. Slowly, slowly, I raise my head out of my braced position, looking around me.

And then my jaw drops in shock.

Armin, Mikasa, and I were protected underneath a gigantic, decomposed corpse of a Titan from what I had assumed to be cannon-fire. I had to assume Eren was the one who had formed this massive hulking figure, as he was nowhere in sight now.

"Wh-Wh-what the…?" Armin stutters in shock. "We're under a massive skeleton…..and it's very hot. What h-happened?"

Mikasa and I glance at each other, and giving her an almost imperceptible nod, she says, "Eren protected us. He probably was the one who conjured up this thing in the first place."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Armin's incredible plan

Armin stares. And stares. And stares. Until I expect no reaction whatsoever if I waved my hand in front of his eyes.

"That's all we need to know for now," Mikasa finishes with a shrug.

I nod. It's best not to questions things at unnecessary times like this one. I squint at the fog surrounding us, making out only a few silhouettes of the Garrison, so it must be really thick fog. If I can barely make out them, you can sure as hell be certain that they can't see us.

"Hey, guys!" A voice yells out. "Are you alright?"

"Eren!?" I shout "Is that you?!"

A shadowy figure appears from inside the foggy area. The features look just like him, too.

"Mikasa! Armin! Yuki!" He calls out again. ""Hey, are you guys okay?"

"Eren!" Armin yells back. "We're fine! What happened back there? What's-"

"I have no idea!" Eren interrupts sharply, stopping Armin in his tracks. "But it's gonna vaporize, just like a normal Titan would! I mean, look," he adds, looking around the hulking figure. "It's already starting to disintegrate! Let's get outta here before it crushes us."

The four of us carefully crawl out of the skeleton, letting the fog cover our escapade. "I don't know what the Garrison are doing right now," Eren says in a lower tone, "But I know that once the smoke, or fog, or whatever this is clears, they'll continue on their attack."

"And I don't know about you, Eren," I interject softly, "but after that discovery, I doubt talking them out of blasting us will work. At least not anymore."

"That's too true," He agrees, nodding. "Actually, right before they shot the cannon, I remembered something important."

Three surprised faces face Eren in surprise.

"Great," I say after a moment, absorbing this new information. "What was it about? Please explain further."

In response, Eren takes something out from underneath his shirt, a sort of pendant like thing around his neck. He lifts it up to reveal the key that he keeps on himself at all times. "I'm positive it has something to do with this," He begins. "The basement back in Shiganshina, I remember my dad telling me about this, about how when I was ready I would remember about getting back to the basement back in my house."

My eyebrows raise up in surprise. This was important. If there was information on the Titans there, then maybe we can stop the Titans from usurping our only home.

"He told me I'd understand everything about the Titans there," Eren continues, voice faltering a tad. "And….he's also the reason why I'm like this….and if we got to the basement, then maybe we'll finally know why the Titans are the way they are…" he trails off for a moment, before glowering. "Shit!" he cries out, punching the skeleton's ribs.

"Eren?" Mikasa inquires cautiously, seeing his unexpected rage.

Eren doesn't listen, only asking out loud, "Why did my dad hide all of this? That kind of information is humanity's last hope, isn't it? The kind of solution the Survey Corps have been searching for all this time, even if they lost hundreds, maybe thousands of lives? And my dad was freaking hiding it all away in the basement all this time?" He stares off into space, though still very belligerent. "What the hell was he thinking? Shouldn't he have reported it?"

"Eren…." Mikasa chides. "We need to focus. Calm down."

"R-right, sorry," Eren said, shaking his head to clear his thoughts. "Anyway, he also told me to protect the three of you, like I was the leader or something. Just plain what the hell?"

"True," I mused, lost in thought. "All this information at once….it's oddly similar to showing my wings to everyone else."

"Fair," Mikasa murmurs. "That was pretty shocking, wasn't it?"

"Sorta like that…" Eren mutters under his breath. "Listen, I have two ideas."

"Really? Like what?" I venture carefully.

Eren hesitates. "I'm….going to go away," he says flatly.

Armin stares at him sharply. "Where will you go?" he asks him. "How?"

"For now, anywhere that's away from the military," Eren replies curtly. "Then, I'll go back to Shiganshina, after transforming into a Titan one last time. I have a feeling Dad would want me to do it this way, anyway. I'll go alone, so that no one can try to kill me. Once at Shiganshina, I'll have to fight of the Titans there, but then I'll make it to the basement."

"Can you even do that?" I say uneasily. "I mean, you've done it twice, and, well, I have no idea if there's a limit to how many times you can…."

"Me neither, Yuki," he agrees softly. "But I think I can. It's not something you can easily explain like how you move your arm….or wing, in your case. Earlier, i was only trying to protect you guys, so the body that formed didn't have any functionality and why it just crumpled into a heaping mess.".

"I'm going with you," Mikasa interjects.

"No! You'll only waste your life following me," Eren states firmly.

"You know I will always follow you," She says, sounding half-defeated.

"I don't need you following me around like an annoying sister," Eren groans irritably.

"I'm not sure going off on your own is such a hot idea, Eren," I point out, raising an eyebrow.

"Do tell." Eren says, intrigued by my words.

"Look." I say just as firmly as he. "I agree that going off on our own sounds like a good idea. But a soldier could catch you in the act, if not directly inside Trost District. They would then execute you any way they see fit. Believe me when I tell you that lots of people know many ways to murder a , you're pale and your nose is bleeding. It wouldn't be safe to go out there on your own in your condition"

"Fair enough," Eren nods, getting the picture. "Though my condition is something i couldn't give a damn about. Don't forget, I said i had two ideas, not just one. But I want Armin to make that decision."

Armin, who was silent all this time of debating, looks up in surprise. "Wait, wha…?"

He says breathily.

"Look, even I know the first idea isn't very realistic," Eren says, his face stormy with emotions. "It'd actually be better if I used this-skill-or whatever it is-alongside the army. It sounds impossible, I know, but Armin, if you tell me that you can convince the Garrison that I'm not a threat to them or anyone else, I'll stay and fight. However, if you can't convince them, the I'll use the first idea as the last resort. I respect your decision either way, so don't feel pressured to go one way or the other."

Armin is beyond shocked. "W-wait a minute, Eren," he says shakily. "Why would you trust me with such an important decision?"

"Well, to be honest, you make really good split-second decisions," I say, smiling softly.

"Yuki's right," Eren adds, nodding. "When things are all crazy and out of whack, you keep a level head and figure out the right thing to do. I want to be able to rely on that."

"When have I ever done that?" he asks.

"Remember back five years ago? If it wasn't for you telling Mr. Hannes about Mikasa and I, we'd be dead meat, devoured by a Titan."

"Armin." Mikasa gives him a level stare. "Whatever you have in mind, I have faith in it, too."

No response from Armin, who just stares outwards into the foggy atmosphere. Either he's thinking or he's just trying to comprehend the task put in front of him.

"Armin, our time's up," Eren says, sounding concerned.

Another half second passes before Armin stands up, decision made. "I'll convince them that you're not a threat, I swear it," he says. "You guys try to look convincing, got it?"

Eren nods curtly. "You got it," he says, giving him a thumbs-up.

Armin disappears behind the fog, taking of his gear as he does so.

"I hope he can pull it off," Mikasa whispers to me, all tensed up and worried.

"Same here," I whisper back. "It's not like the general was easily convinced the first time. How convinced would you think he would be now?"

"Even so, Armin's got this." Mikasa nods.

"Not denying it," I say, just as I hear the general continue his yelling (Ugh).

"Hey! You stop right there!" He practically bellows, clearly speaking to Armin.

"Eren is not our enemy!" Armin begins, trying to shout over other protests. "We'd much rather disclose any and all information that we've gathered about the Titans!"

"Don't try to beg for your lives!" The general returns acidly. "He's shown who he really is, his true form, so there's nothing left to be said. Not for you, not for him or anyone else affilated with him! Prove to me-or any of us, that he's not a Titan, and I will cease the attack!"

"You don't need any proof!" Armin practically bellows, interrupting the general's spew of words. "For starters, how we perceive him now isn't the major issue!"

"Are you crazy?!-"

"You said everyone saw him, didn't you? If that was the case, and it is, then that means that they also saw him fighting Titans! What's more, they also would have seen the Titans all ganging up on him! To make a long story short, instead of seeing him as one of them, they saw him as prey, just as we are to them. No matter how you slice it, the truth is still evident!"

Everyone is completely shocked at his words, even me. I mean, yes, I know the truth, but hearing all this from one of my closest friends? Something I can't exactly wrap my head around but still knowing that he can use to his advantage.

Murmurs begin to fill the quiet gap that occurs after this little source of information. I can't quite make it out, but I can interpret "He might be right" and "This guy might be sided with us" out of the soft, rambling chatter.

"Enough!" The general roars, silencing everyone at once. "Prepare for another attack! For all we know, the Titans could disguise themselves as humans! Don't be fooled! I'm sure any Titan could transform into a Titan without any of us knowing! We can't let them get away with it longer!"

And, once again, he raises his hand to signal another counterattack.

Armin turns back to face Eren, Mikasa and I, his face showing fear. It seems like no matter what we try, the general waves it off scornfully. Even now, his face is completely unreadable. Suddenly, and seemingly all at once, Armin turns back to face the Garrison again, only this time with a different proposal. He salutes the crowd, prepared to go down fighting, and yells out the bravest thing I have heard in the longest time.

"I am a soldier!" He practically screams, bringing anyone listening to silence once again. "And being as such, I vowed to dedicate my heart to protect and save the human race! If I should die trying to keep my vow to the bitter end, I have no complaints! But if we were to use this "Titan Power" with the remaining military force we still have, we might be able to even reclaim Trost! In the last few moments I have in this world, I beg you to listen well on his strategic value, in the glory for the human race!"

Dead silence reigns. The general seems unmoved by any of this information handed to him. (Kind of like a rich person is given food on a silver platter.) The question in my mind is immediatly answered, though. It's obvious. The general's too scared of what he doesn't understand. Before he can signal the solders on top to fire, though, a hand stops him from behind.

"Stop, you foolish old hag," a slightly rusty voice commands. "You're just the same as ever, you delicate faun."

A figure stands behind the general, and when he turns, his jaw drops in utter shock. "C-Commander Pixis!"

 **Author's note: Yep, cliffhanger on this one. It's mostly to keep you guys interested, though I'm not entirely sure how well I'm doing. It's starting to get a little difficult to write the story, but I'm sure I'll get there eventually. On the other note, despite being late on this, Happy Summer to those in the U.S! More story writing should be more frequent at this stage since it tends to stall during school times. I also have a sequel planned for this story, after the Female Titan Arc, but with a different (and hopefully interesting) twist to it. Stay tuned, and be kind to each other. We need more of that anyways ^^. Don't worry, I hopefully fixed the weird code bug thingy.**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Retaking Trost, sorta

Yep, the one and only Commander Dot Pixis comes in and graces us with his presence, apparently. What timing for him to come here right on the spot. Armin drops down to his knees in shock (and possibly relief, it's hard to tell). The general just gapes at him for the longest time, until Pixis speaks again.

"Well, I only just arrived, but the message was sent to me by a fellow soldier," Pixis continues on nonchalantly. "For now, I'm putting you in charge of reinforcements. I have a good feeling that it would be worth it to hear what these Cadets actually have to say."

He turns to the four of us. "Come with me. I'm sure your argument is worth a hear."

Walking on the top of Wall Rose, helping Armin brace Eren as he still somehow was unable to walk, is somber and quiet, leaving me to my own thoughts. After everything that just occurred in those few moments, which seems like a blur of shouting and bickering now, I can't really begin to comprehend the magnitude of Armin's words, at least not at the moment. It is like a puzzle that I can't figure out how to piece together, especially with Pixis coming in at _just_ the right time. He seems familiar, too, from long lost memories that were buried in the past. I just can't unearth them unless there was something about him that would jog my memory.

As soon as we come to the place that Pixis had told us he would meet us, the bald man turned around to face us and smiled. "Good, you're here," He said, looking at each of us in turn. "Very good," he murmurs, before looking right at me. He points at me, and my friends follow his gaze. "You look very familiar to me," he tells me in surprise.

"I should say the same to you, though I can't quite recall it now," I agree.

"What's your name, Cadet?"

"Cadet Yuki Kurosaki from Shiganshina District, sir," I say automatically, not realizing how immediate it was until after the words leave my mouth.

"Yuki Kurosaki?" Pixis says in genuine shock, staring at me. "The same girl I met several years back when I was on a mission in Shiganshina? THAT Yuki Kurosaki?"

"Yeah, the girl who had several people trying to train her to be a weapon, that's me," I say sheepishly, rubbing my neck.

"Wow," He says breathily. "I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't heard it for myself. You've become quite the soldier and a fine young woman, Cadet."

"Well, I, uh, thank you," I manage to stammer out, face flushing crimson red.

He laughs a bit at that, before looking down at the hordes of Titans right belows us. "No, not any of you," he adds to himself before saying louder, "I actually wouldn't mind being eaten by a Titan, so long as it was a pretty female one."

I try to hold in my snickers. From the textbooks, it was said that he's a pretty cynical person and pretty eccentric in his humor. I just didn't realize how true it was.

"So," Pixis begins, turning back to us. "I heard that you've got some interesting skills, Cadet Yeager?"

"That's true," Eren states simply. "I don't really know for sure why, but it's there. I remembered my dad telling me that I had to go back to my basement back in Shiganshina."

"I see….So you believe that your basement room will give you all the answers to this mystery?"

"Yes," Eren hesitated a minute after this statement. "Can you believe what I'm saying?"

"Well, since you don't have convincing proof that all of this is true, I'll keep it tucked away in memory. Still, I expect that I'll be able to investigate this thoroughly, but until then I can personally guarantee your safety." Then Pixis turns to Armin. "You're Cadet Arlert, correct?"

"Yes, sir!" Armin says quickly.

"You had said to that general earlier that we could utilize this 'Titan's power' or whatchamacallit to reclaim Trost district, right? Do you really believe that, or was that just an act to save your own skin?"

Armin fumbles over the words, hesitating as he speaks. "Well….It was…..er…" He stops, takes a deep breath, and continues much more confidently. "It was both, sir," he explains carefully. "What I had tried to convey then was that Eren, using his Titan ability, could take the large boulder in Trost, carry it to the gate and plug it up. That is, Eren could transform into a Titan and plug the hole, thus making the gate leading out to Wall Maria unusable. It was a thought that occurred to me then, nothing more, but I was hoping that the general would see some sense to it. Or at least see the possibility of Eren's ability being useful to the military." Suddenly, he jerks up and adds in haste, "Of course, I was also desperate to save our own lives…."

Pixis mulls over all of this, staying silent. Then, he turns to Eren, looking him in the eye. "Cadet Yeager…." He says trailing off for a minute "Can you plug up the wall?"

Eren hesitates. "I...I don't know, sir," he says uneasily. "I haven't the foggiest idea if I had the strength to carry such a massive thing…"

At this, Pixis laughs. "Ah, yes, my mistake," he says in between laughter. "Let me rephrase that." His expression grows serious. " _Will_ you plug up that hole, Cadet Yeager?"

Eren is quiet for a minute. Then, in a determined voice, he cries out, "I'll seal it off, sir. I don't know for certain whether or not I can carry the boulder, but no matter what, I will seal it off!"

"Well said, Cadet," Pixis says with a smile. "You're a real man. Where's the council?! Let's work a strategy out for this!"

"Wait a minute, what?" Armin says in shock. "He wants to carry out the plan now? _Right_ now?! It was only an idealistic notion I had, so…." he trails off.

"I was thinking the same thing, but I realized that Pixis sees the situation perfectly clear." Eren states this darkly. "Before we actually carry out the plan, there's a bigger and more fundamental problem."

"Yeah? And what's that?" I ask hesitantly, previous embarrassment forgotten.

"The Titans…." Eren says incredulously, "might not be our only enemy."

"Huh?" I ask dumbly. Sure, it could be _easy_ to assume that Titan's are humanity's greatest enemy, but at the same time, I have an inkling that he might be right.

Pixis comes back, a somber smile playing on his lips. "Every minute counts in this plight," he comments with a tinge of graveness. "You're going to become great heroes, young soldiers."

"I don't know about you," Mikasa mutters to me, "but I still can't comprehend that what happened just…..well, _happened."_

"Right?" I whisper back just as quietly. "I still can't believe that Eren has this...this….argh, I don't know what to call it. Ability? Power?"

Still standing on Wall Rose, Eren and Pixis stand on the edge facing a crowd of soldiers, Pixis yelling out the plan as loud as he can, Eren saluting and standing stock still, almost a statue. Mikasa and I stand a distance away from him, closer to Armin and a collective group of Garrison soldiers, conversing with each other and still trying to shake the shock off our shoulders. Armin, along with the soldiers, tries to come up with a strategy that would work against the Titans. Honestly, it still seems impossible. I mean, If you were to tell me or any of us beforehand that Eren could transform into a Titan (for better reference, Titan-shifter seems more appropriate), we'd never believe you unless we saw it with our own eyes.

With nothing else to talk about, Mikasa and I tune in to the conversation between Armin and the soldiers of Pixis' council.

"Sooooo…." One of the Garrison trails off, before he picks back up. "What you're saying is that we don't actually have to engage the Titans?"

Armin fidgets nervously. "Ummm, sorry," he says tentatively. "I know a Cadet has no right to cut into the conversation…"

"No, it's fine," The soldier interrupts, nodding. "Please continue."

"Well, since the Titans react to groups of people, as well as pursuing them, it would be safe to assume that if we use a large amount of people farthest away from the gate, then the majority of Titans would be drawn away from the gate itself, thus giving us an advantage against them," Armin explains, pointing out the specific locations on a map. "The majority of the soldiers then won't need to have direct contact with the Titans, as well as making sure they're full well clear of Eren. Later on, we'll use the cannons against the Titans to take them down, minimizing the amount of casualties as much as possible. However, leaving Eren completely defenseless is also too risky, so a small but well-trained group of soldiers should be there with him to protect him. Other than that, there's no way to avoid fighting any Titans that come through, so to get through that entirely depends on the skills of the squad that is chosen to defend him."

The soldier nods in agreement. "Sounds like a good plan," He says. "Let's revise the plan based around your ideas."

"I do have my concerns, though," Armin sighs. "I mean, the plan is predicated solely on Eren being able to carry the rock and plugging the hole in. Since there is no guarantee on that, I can't help but doubt a lot on the operation itself."

"It's natural to have concerns or even doubts about sending hundreds of troops to likely death when the core of the strategy is uncertain," the soldier says with an air of experience. "I can understand where Commander Pixis is coming from, anyways."

Three inexperienced Cadets stare at him with confusion.

"For example, one factor is time," He explains carefully. "Even as we discuss all this, Titans are still pouring into the gap that was once the gate. We'll have no practical hope hope of this town being retaken once Titans completely fill it up. The longer we wait, the bigger the chance that Wall Rose is taken, too, now that I think of it. And there's one more reason."

"Yeah," I whisper unexpectedly. "There's a limit to how far most people can be pushed by fear alone."

Before anyone can interject or add their thoughts to the matter, shouts from below the wall begin to filter through the silence. It's sort of hard to make out, but you can hear bits and pieces of the protests, like "Count me out!" or "Lies!" or even "I'm going back to my family".

"Oh dear…" The soldier shakes his head ruefully. "It appears your previous statement has come true, Cadet. They clearly aren't buying into it, probably because they've been driven into pure terror."

Mikasa steals a glance at me and whispers, "This can't be good."

"Right?" I hiss back. "If they're not willing to fight against the Titans, what good is the plan to plug the hole?" I cringe inwardly. "I can't say how good it would be if Eren was not able to or was thoroughly unprotected by the squadron chosen."

After hearing that, she shudders at the thought, listening to Dot Pixis explain the importance of "given the choice to die, die here", and nods in agreement.

"I _really_ don't want to risk that chance," she mutters.

I nod silently before the grandeur of a meeting is closed, allowing Eren only a few minutes with us before the whole thing goes into action. He stares off somberly out at Trost, silent for once, though the silence doesn't do anything to calm our nerves.

Finally, he speaks. "It looks like everything is accounted for, judging from Pixis's words," He says gravely.

"Eren, I'm sorry," Armin starts off in a worried tone. "I hadn't meant for all this to happen-"

"Stop apologizing," Eren cuts him off. "I already told you, you're smarter than all of the MP combined, trust me."

"Eren, I'm coming with you," Mikasa interjects.

"No way." he's very blunt. "You stay with Armin and Yuki, and that's final."

"But-"

"Cadet Ackerman!" Someone cuts Mikasa's rebuttal off. "You're coming with me. You're on the A-game Squadron, the one that protects Eren."

Eren looks bedraggled by this notion, Mikasa rather relieved and a bit pleased.

"Alright, fine, but we gotta get going," Eren grumbles, annoyed. "You guys stay safe, you hear? One scratch that I see, I swear I'll-"

"Okay, okay!" I say, interrupting him and throwing my hands up defensively. "You be safe too."

"You got it, Yuki," Eren says, fist-bumping me before dashing off, Mikasa behind him.

Let me tell you one thing: If you thought Erasers from the stories I read is hard to deal with, you ain't seen anything yet. Titans are thousands of times worse. I know because when you're dangling precariously high from certain death, your perspective tends to change drastically on things.

Yes, as part of Armin's plan, a larger group of soldiers are dangling off the wall to lure the Titans away from Eren. It would be easy for one of the soldiers to try and knock some of the population of Titans here if not for the consistent chanting to "not be a hero".

Ugh, as if I would try.

Trying not to glance down is even harder. A few meters below us, huge, ugly faces that could swallow us whole stare uncomprehendingly, ready to eat us in one fell swoop. I actually end up making the mistake of looking down once before immediately looking back up, terror striking my heart so strongly that I have to shut my eyes before it passes.

"Yuki, are you alright?" a voice calls out softly.

Not bothering to open my eyes again, I respond just as quietly. "I'm okay. Just need to regain control of myself, if that makes any sense." Then I open my eyes a bit. "This can't be an easy task for anyone, I'm sure."

Armin laughs at that. "True, that," He says. "Not everyone can handle it as well as you are, though." Dropping down closer towards me, he smiles warmly at me, which is surprising given the current situation. "Admittedly, that might come from constant training, unlike Mikasa, who seems nonchalant to practically everything."

"Yeah," I admit sheepishly, shrugging. "Except the only time Mikasa isn't Ms. Cool, Calm, and Collected is when Eren is in danger or something."

At this both of us laugh, knowing how true it is. If you haven't caught on, do me a favor and read the past chapters again and take tally on how many times Mikasa is concerned on Eren's condition. I swear to you there will be a lot in there.

"Anyways, try to relax a little," Armin whispers, taking my free hand and grasping it gently. "All we have to do is lure the Titans away from Eren."

"Right," I whisper back, ignoring the heat suddenly appearing on my cheeks.

Silence pervades for the rest of the time I'm down here until someone calls for the soldiers to switch. But my thoughts buzz like _crazy._ Mostly, I'm thinking of the past and current events, but even so, the circularities never seem to fade.

"Hey. Earth to Yuki. Are you there?" A hand waves over my eyes, snapping me back to reality. I blink a couple times before looking over my shoulder.

"Sorry, lost in my thoughts. What did you say?" I say sheepishly.

"I was trying to tell you something, but I've forgotten now. You looked sort of...calm, in a way, I guess? I'm not sure the right words for it."

"Well, when you're off in space, you do tend to look that way," I offer with a nervous smile. "I guess I'm just worried over things, is all."

"'Things'?" Armin gives me a concerned look.

"I don't know how else to say it! What with Eren's 'power' for lack of a better term and the whole reclaim of Trost, I guess my nerves are fairly wracked out of proportion."

"Oh, looks like Yuki's got the willies," Jean snorts snarkly.

"Shut UP, Horseface," I snap tersely. "I don't need your stupid remarks." _I swear, one more comment like that and he's going to get a punch to the face, hard._

Jean opens his mouth to retort, but before he can, the sound of a flare gun interrupts him. He turns back to the source and simply stares at it, wide eyed. So am I, because that sound was that of a red flare being shot.

That's right. A RED flare. Something's obviously wrong; you don't just shoot off a red flare just because you're feeling like it.

"What the heck?" Someone calls out from the crowd. "A red flare? Did something go wrong?"

Suddenly, I feel myself get jerked back from a sharp tug. Turning back to find the source, I can just barely make out Armin in my periphery. "Huh?!" I cry out in surprise.

"Don't argue and just get going," He responds, his voice slightly shaky. "Obviously something's wrong with Eren, and I intend to find out what happened."


	14. Chapter 14

**Author Side note:**

 **I do apologize for not very consistent uploads. It's hard to be consistent when you have writers' block and then you end up procrastinating in the process. I do hope you forgive me for that.**

 **Anyway, yeah! hope you like this chapter! I work really hard on everyone I create. :)**

Chapter 14: Why not throw a wrench in it? Ugh.

First things first: you should ALWAYS assume something went wrong in a testy situation. Like now, for example. I mean, think about it. We've got a group of soldiers over on one corner to lure Titans away, another group protecting Eren, and Eren himself transformed into a Titan to move the boulder in Trost.

Testy as you can get, for a typical military group here anyways.

After I finally stop being pulled (Actually, it only lasts a few seconds, but it felt like an eternity for God knows why), there's no time to waste. Running across Wall Rose, despite everything going on, it's rather quiet. Too quiet, actually, which means something's _really_ wrong.

Then a thought occurs to me. "Hey, Armin?" I ask nervously.

"Yeah?" He glances back at me.

"Had you noticed that there were no new Titans being lured over from where we just were?"

This gets him off guard. "What do you mean?"

Time for a better approach to the topic, I suppose. Hmmm…

"...what I mean," I start off, more hesitant, "Is that there should have been more Titans over where we were luring them. I mean, Titans are still spilling into Trost, aren't they? Shouldn't they be heading _away_ from the broken gate? And also, if there are, where did they go?"

"Ohhh." His eyes widen slightly at the thought. "You're right, there should be a steady stream of Titans heading towards the 'baiting soldiers', so to speak, but so far there has been a shortage of which, so…..Oh. Oh my God."

"What? What is it?"

"The way I see it, there are only two viable options: one, we could be dealing with a lot more Abnormals than usual, or….well, they might be heading to something else-or probably some _one_ else-important."

"Oh NO. So they could be heading towards Eren instead?"

"Most likely that's the case. If that's not, either way, we're in a _lot_ of trouble here."

After that little bombshell thought, nothing much happens afterward, unless you count arriving at the scene of the disaster. Of course, I use my wings to get there, because it's much more efficient than wasting gas. I'm not doing that quite yet. Landing isn't exactly easy, either, I think I crush a few dozen roof tiles just trying. The bad landing is mostly from shock at what I'm looking at though. It's much more sinister than what I would have previously imagined.

Without making it too gory for you dear readers, here's the layout: Yes, we're at the boulder and so is Eren, but not in the way you'd think. He's left just sitting as a Titan, half of his face still steaming, probably from injury. And he's not doing anything. Is he unconscious somehow?

"Uhhh, Yuki? Do you have any idea how he ended up like this?"

"Nope." I shake my head in astonishment. "Whatever happened here, it wasn't good at all...Wait a sec." I stop and look around for someone in particular. "Wasn't Mikasa in the squad to protect Eren?"

"You're right, she might have a clue what in God's name is going on here." Armin agrees, looking for her himself. Then he points. "There she is!"

He's right, too. Following his gaze, I watch as Mikasa kills of a Titan, mostly wide-eyed and very wound up. As a new addition to her features, a red mark across her right cheek is slowly welling up with blood.

"She looks out of sorts," I murmur, before cupping my hands around my mouth and yelling, " _Mikasa!_ What's going on over here?!"

Startled, she turns to face the two of us. Armin stands on top of Eren's passed out Titan body while I'm slightly farther back, but she can still see us just fine.

"Armin?! Yuki?! What are you two doing here?!" She cries back.

"We saw a red flare! Why'd the plan go belly up?" Armin asks in surprise.

"It's dangerous, guys, get out of here!" She screams, before deciding to explain. "Eren can't control that Titan for some reason! I've tried talking to him, but I've got no reaction! It doesn't matter who talks to it or anything, it's useless!"

"Wait a minute, what?!" I say, in shock.

"What about the mission?" Armin presses.

Mikasa hesitates for a fraction of a second. "It's failed, so we've switched to defending Eren. Everyone's fighting Titans, but-but with this many, I don't think we can last for much longer! We're soon going to be toast!"

 _Just as I thought,_ I think to myself. _Titans had to have been drawn towards Eren. Now there's no doubt._

Armin suddenly moves to grab one of his swords, startling Mikasa and I both.

"Uhhhhm….wh-what are you doing, Armin?" I ask nervously.

"Let me see...Strike from the back of the head to the nape of the neck….one meter lengthwise, ten centimeters across," I hear him mutter to himself.

"Armin?" Mikasa asks.

"I have an idea. I'm going to get Eren out of here," he says without missing a beat.

"Wait a minute, you plan on doing what?" I say, dumbstruck.

"Yuki, go fight the Titans with Mikasa. I'll handle taking care of Eren, okay?" Armin says, looking back at me. "Eren came out of the Titan's weak point before, so it would make sense that they would follow the same principles. Sorry, Mikasa. I'm going to have to find a way to wake him up." At this, he shudders. "It'll all be fine...as long as I avoid hitting the middle."

"What?!" Mikasa shouts. I unfold my wings, preparing for the worst.

"Sorry about this, Eren!" Armin calls out, raising his sword higher. "This is going to hurt- _a lot!_ " And with that, he shoves the sword, slightly away from the middle, into Eren's Titan body. Almost immediately, Eren shrieks in pain the way a Titan would, almost throwing Armin off in the process. I also shouldn't have unfolded my wings, because they were built to catch the wind (because, you know, part bird!), so I'm being nearly swept off my feet and into the sky as well. _Whoooooah!_

"What are you doing?!" Mikasa practically screeches. "Get out of there!"

"I'll be okay!" Armin shouts over the roar. "Right now, you two do what you can! If you can save lives while you're gone, then it's worth working at, right?!"

You have to admit, he _does_ have a point there. It would be a waste of precious time just sitting here and watching. Mikasa looks back at me, still fairly alarmed, yet she understands perfectly. She nods at me, indicating she's ready to go. Returning the gesture, she and I take off, leaving Armin to take care of Eren and his unconscious Titan form.

When I'm within hearing range, Mikasa decides to ask the obvious question. "You think he'll be able to get him out of that state?" she queries to me.

"What, you mean Armin? Of course, he would be able to! It might not be easy but I'm sure he'll figure out something," I reassure her. Then as an afterthought, I add, "Which team are we going on to fight Titans anyway?"

"Mitsubishi's team," she replies simply before pointing to a team not so far away from us. "They're over there. We're heading over there because that's where we've been able to drive most of the Titan activity." She pauses briefly before continuing, "I have a crazy idea, but it is insanely dangerous."

"Well, I'm all for crazy in this situation," I say with a nervous smile. "Lay it on me, Mikasa."

She sighs, as if trying to find a good way to convey this to me but can't find the right words for it. "Okay, so step one: I'll kill off one Titan to grab the attention of the others. Then you and I will join team Mitsubishi's team, but this is where it'll get complicated. I need you to work together with me to get as many Titans knocked off as possible."

"So….Mostly just assists, right?" I ask.

"For the most part, yes," Mikasa says, steering us to stay on course. "Though of course stealing the spotlight is also not an option or we're both toast."

"You got _that_ right." Then I spot one-the first Titan I've seen since I was dangling off the wall, luring them away. "First one at ten," I add, pointing to indicate our position vs. its position.

"I'm on it. Follow my lead," She says as soon as she sees it, starting to speed into a run, and taking off to kill it off. I soon follow, taking it a tad slower. Yes, I can go fast with my wings, but at the same time in thicker, denser air, I can't go as fast without risking a major injury, or at the very least both my wings getting torn off in gale force winds. Ow, no thank you.

"We need to distract it!" She yells so I can hear her from the wind. "You fly in front of it so I can kill it without suspecting a thing!"

"On it!" I yell back, steering myself into a steep bank just tight enough to face it head-on.

Now, I'm not good at insults. Staying quiet is usually how I go about dealing with people taunting me (Which I suppose will happen more often with my big secret blown up, but that's beside the point). So you can imagine how I must have felt when I suddenly realize: Shoot, I've never really insulted anyone, let alone a Titan before. I'm gonna have to insult it in order to get its attention, so I think one up on the fly and scream as loud as I can:

"Hey, UGLY! Yeah, you! Come up with any good recipes lately? Or do you just like grabbing people without thinking?"

Okay, okay, I know it was bad, but I just said I suck at insults. It's my first time, okay?

Either way, it's enough to get the Titan's attention. Almost at sonic speeds, its head snaps around and up to stare at me. Oh, GOD, that look is enough to send anyone nightmares. Shutting out the fear of that ghastly grin and piercing eyes, I continue to hold its attention by waving my arms and continuing to shout nonsensical insults towards him. As it continues to stare at me with a curious but slow stare, Mikasa rushes behind it to strike its soft spot as fast as possible, killing it instantly.

"What the heck?!" Someone calls out on a roof. "It finally croaked?!"

" 'Bout damn time," someone else replies, to which I barely suppress a snicker.

"Rico!" Mikasa calls out to a silver-haired soldier. "Yuki and I are joining up Team Mitsubishi!"

The soldier named Rico glances back at us and nods curtly. "Whatever you two can do to help, we're all for it," she answers with a stern look. "Go on ahead."

Mikasa nods back at her and signals me to follow to Team Mitsubishi. One of the soldiers looks back up at me and his eyes widen, clearly having never seen a bird kid before. Can't blame him though.

"Hey, Mikasa, that one of your friends?" The leader asks her imploringly, jerking his head in my general direction.

"Yes, with all due respect, sir, she's been one of my childhood friends. She can help us were some soldiers can't, so don't be alarmed by her appearance."

"Alright, then, if you're sure," He nods. "Heads up, two Titans at one o'clock, one at 3. Mikasa, you, me and Yuki will take the two, the rest of you handle the single one. There may be other Titans lurking there."

Half the team splits off in pursuit of the Titan; Mikasa and I follow the team leader against the two on sight. Killing these Titans is not easy, as I guess you've already assumed. Let's just say it takes several evasive maneuvers before you can even kill 'em off, hence why Mikasa wanted me to distract them when I can.

Without any warning to my senses, I hear the familiar sound of a Titan approaching behind me. I flinch and spin around much too fast for even me, nearly having the force let me fall. At first, I think it's another Titan coming in our direction trying to get to Eren, but upon studying the scene longer, I realize that the sound was coming from where Eren was just sitting there. Mikasa, standing on the roof next to where I've been hovering, beckons me over to watch.

"I can't believe it," she tells me when I get there. "He's actually doing it."

I don't have to ask who "He" is because the bit of boulder I can see slowly moving over through the buildings. And not five seconds later, I bet you can guess you showed up.

"It looks like we're all set," Armin says after a second. "He's going to do it. He's going to plug the wall up!"

It takes a moment for this information to sink in. Then, almost out of the blue, the soldier Mikasa talked to a short while ago practically explodes, yelling, "Defend Eren at all costs! Even if it means your life is on the line, defend Eren so he can get to the wall!"

Almost as soon as he finished his rant, all the soldiers save for Mikasa, Armin, the leader, and I collectively head off to defend Eren. Then the Garrison soldier turns to us, a look of determination on his face.

"You three should be with him," he says simply.

"Huh?!" Armin says in shock.

"Wait a minute, what do you mean, sir?" I ask at almost the same time.

"That's a direct order, soldiers!" he snaps before anyone else can interject and startling us.

I nod hesitantly before heading in the same direction of the others, Armin and Mikasa shortly following suit.

Of course, no plan is without someone going to extremes. And this is no exaggeration: a cursory glance down underneath me reveals a smallish group of Garrison soldiers, trying to lure the Titans away from Eren. I cannot believe my eyes. Attempting such a thing at this point is very much considered suicide in the military. Just because it's nearly the end of the battle doesn't mean you should give the Titans a chance to EAT you, jeez! So, of course, my brain decides to argue with itself. _Do I help them or do I just go with the others? I know they'll likely disapprove of it, but they're gonna die if I don't! I have to do SOMEthing!_

Well, as I'm sure you're bound to guess, the side that wanted to help them won that battle. Before I even know what on earth I'm doing, AGAIN, I find myself down there and trying to get them out of harm's way.

I _really_ have to break that habit, I know. Think on how to do it before actually acting. Old habits die hard.

"What are you doing?!" one of the soldiers yells at me in astonishment, seeing this girl with 13-feet of blue and white wings come down to ground level with them. (In all honesty, I can't blame him. If I were him I'd be shocked too.)

"Come on and don't ask too many questions," I say quickly, pushing them out of the way. " We've got to move perpendicular to Eren's path. The others will take care of the Titans. For now, let's get moving."

Despite the fact that they are higher staff in the military than I am, they don't hesitate to take my advice. I watch as the others follow save for my other friends, who are back with Eren still.

"Divert the Titans away from Eren!" a soldier shouts from the crowd, and I nod in assent, allowing the soldiers time to run so the Titans can't catch them. (Not in this setting anyhow.)

"This way! Come on!" I shout, trying to let them hear me over the Titans now following us. "I can hold them back if you need, just get going!"

"I'll help!" I hear from the back. It sounds like someone I should know. "You shouldn't do this alone, Yuki!"

Definitely, someone, I should know. Actually, now thinking about it, it sounds like Marco, but it's too late to think about that. I nod to the person who called out and set to work almost immediately. Working hard, we manage to knock off a few Titans before things start to turn for the worse. You think it was easy fighting off Titans and slicing their napes practically wide open? Oh no. the professionals make it _look_ easy. It isn't long before I'm trying to escape their grasp several times, slicing wounds open and getting more than my fair share of bruises. Still, more Titans are disappearing, so all of the pain is worth it.

Finally, finally, enough Titans are slain so that my friend and I can make our escape. Except...he disappeared a while ago, and I think I saw him fall once and never came back. For now, I shrug it off, thinking that he might have made his escape, meaning that I should probably do the same. So I sprint off in the direction where I led the other soldiers, hoping that I managed to spare a few extra lives in the process.

Suddenly, without warning, a Titan crosses my path-probably an Abnormal because of how quickly it appeared-and stares directly at me with that _sickening_ ghoulish smile of his. Talk about your nightmares coming to life. I stare frozen in fear for a few seconds before trying to escape the other way. But life just wants to screw me over for trying to do a good deed, it seems, because that direction is blocked by debris. Sure, I could fly over it, but I also risk the chance that there's another Abnormal just waiting for me to take a chance to escape before taking the leap. Not to mention how fast the other one is, which would likely grab me and bring my life to a sudden close. Uh, no thank you, I'll stay down here and try to immobilize it. But even that doesn't help my situation. The Titan reaches down to grab me, leaving me stuck with chopping off fingers repeatedly to avoid being picked up.

And then, because everything had to present the icing on the cake, something else hits the side of a house, causing debris to fall. It causes the Titan to be buried, yes, but as I try to escape the falling rubble, frantically flapping my wings and getting airborne by at least a solid 10 feet of the ground, a large solid chunk of wood hits my back with such a force that I forget to flap my wings, immediately closing the space between me and the ground.

My last thought before everything suddenly cuts to black is, _I should have been more careful about my escape. Good to know in the future._


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15: The aftermath

"...Yuki?"

"...Yuki, wake up, please." Armin's familiar voice rings in my head, almost like a bell being rung. I groan softly, slowly coming back to consciousness. I open my eyes to be staring straight up at a ceiling. _Wait a second. A ceiling? Wasn't I outside before?_

Fully awake and conscious now, I almost bolt right up from where I lie in bed. Mikasa and Armin are sitting next to my bed. I'm guessing I'm in the infirmary from the many other cots full of injured and unconscious soldiers. Both look terribly worried; I can't blame them given the fact of why I'm here.

"Oh, hey. You're awake," Mikasa says. "How are you doing?"

I stare at her blankly before finally repeating her question. "What do you mean, how am I doing? How did I even _get_ here?" I shake my head. "Nevermind, that doesn't really matter right now. I guess the better question would be how long I've been out."

"Well, that answer's also a bit hard to take in, unfortunately," Armin adds. "You've been out for at least three days now. A lot has happened since then."

"So I'm guessing Eren managed to plug in the wall?" When they both nod, I ask the pretty obvious question. "What happened to him?"

Mikasa looks down and fidgets a bit before finally saying, "They're putting him on trial."

"Whaaaaat?!" if I wasn't fully awake before, I sure as hell am now. "They're putting him on trial?!"

"Woah, there, Yuki, take it easy," Armin says, grabbing my shoulders lightly. I realize I must have been leaning forwards, trying to get out of bed, and relax slightly, sighing.

"Sorry. This is all news to me," I apologize sheepishly, scratching the back of my neck.

"No, you're fine," Armin reassures me. "We heard it earlier this morning, as a matter of fact. Not to mention they ended up chaining him up. Mikasa practically went ballistic when hearing that."

"Jeez." I get that they want to be one hundred percent sure that he's not a threat. But _come on_ , chaining him to the wall? "It's like they think he's not as human as the rest of us. If that was the case, just chain me to the wall as well. It's only fair."

"You're goddamn right," Mikasa growls through clenched teeth. "They _don't_ think he's human. They don't know the experience we've had with him."

Once again, one must be reminded to never, ever piss Mikasa off or you will face the horrible consequences. I stay silent, unsure what to do or say to my heated friend. Finally, she sighs. "Sorry about that. We all know how I get around that."

"Yeah. I suppose now that the deed has been done, cleanup has to be done, right?" I say, trying to change the subject.

"Yeah. I doubt they're going to let you go yet, though." Armin points to his head before adding, "You hit your head pretty hard, though it wasn't enough for fractures to happen. The doctors were amazed at how mild your concussion was."

My hand almost immediately copies his movements, feeling thin bandages wrapped around where I would have expected to feel bare skin. Obviously, it wasn't too mild or they wouldn't have bandaged it up. "Right. I'll have to stay here another day or two," I realize out loud. "That's going to be fun." Then I groan inwardly at myself before muttering, "I just HAD to let myself go and try to save them, didn't I?"

"Hmm?" Mikasa looks up at me in confusion.

"Hello?" I say almost sarcastically. "Didn't you see me go off in the direction of those soldiers? I tried luring the Titans away from Eren and you two. Look what good that did me," I add, pointing to the bandages and bruises all over me.

"You at least tried," Mikasa points out. "One or two didn't make it. I remember because I watched one get squashed like a pancake." She winces at the tragic memory.

"Ouch," I agree, nodding. "I think one disappeared from my view trying to fight off Titans with me and never really came back. So yeah, I'd say that would be a good estimate." I nod towards the door. "You two should probably get going, actually. They're going to need all the help they can get."

"And just leave you here all alone?" Mikasa scoffs. "No way. Besides, they told us to come see you."

"For the whole day?" I say, raising an eyebrow. "I call BS, Mikasa. Even I know they wouldn't let you stay here for that long."

"I know, I know, I just…." she trails off, finishing almost inaudibly, "...don't want anything bad to happen while we're gone."

"Hey, seriously, I'll be fine," I protest half-heartedly. Part of me agrees with her on the disaster spectrum. "If you're _that_ concerned about it, draw straws or something and you can decide who stays here, alright?"

Before now, I don't think I've ever had an outburst like that before. I'm impressed even with myself, especially seeing their dumbstruck faces. I don't think they've seen it before either. Silence persists for a few moments as this new surprise really sinks in our minds.

"Uh...I guess we could try that?" Armin offers with a weak smile. Mikasa almost immediately bolts to go get materials-something tells me she's feeling quite anxious. When she gets back, she carries with her three sticks and a couple markers.

"Uhhh, Mikasa?" I ask with a short laugh. "I'm not going anywhere, remember? As far as those doctors are concerned, I'm fairly planted in this spot today."

"I know that," she responds, then quotes _Hamlet_ as if to prove a point. "' _Though this be madness, yet there is method in it._ '"

The first thing she does with the tools she brought back is lay the three sticks down and colors with blue on two of them, then green with the other. Then she passes a blue stick to me as she explains. "Whoever gets the other blue stick stays here. The other person goes and helps with cleanup. I'm sure that you'd be let out tomorrow because the doctors are already quite baffled over your rate of healing."

"Yeah, big shock," I say, chuckling to myself. Yes, the glories of bird DNA! I know that Eren heals WAY faster than I do, but hey, it's still faster (and fairly noticeable) than normal humans. Of course, they'd be a little confused. The fact of bird kid life.

Anyways, the only thing that makes me laugh during this whole ordeal is when they stop to actually consider how they are going to randomly choose. I mean, okay, yeah, it's a 50/50 chance and they have to keep their eyes closed, but SERIOUSLY.

It's all I can do to hold in the laughter as I'm watching it unfold. Either way, they do eventually figure out how to choose it and draw the sticks.

"Aw, dammit," Mikasa says, holding up the green-colored stick. "Looks like you got lucky this time, Armin." She turns back to me, slyly smirking. "I'll go work on cleanup-however morbid that will be-and you two get to stay here." She gives me a final wink before disappearing through the doorway, leaving me alone with Armin.

And that's when I find myself laughing pretty darn hard, which would be confusing to most people around me.

"Uh, what the heck? Why are you laughing, Yuki?" Armin asks me.

 _Oh, shoot._ I try to talk in between my giggles. "S-sorry. _Ohgawdmylungs-_ It's just that watching you two trying to figure out how to choose the sticks randomly was pretty darn funny…." It doesn't take long for me to collapse into more laughter. "God...dammit. I must sound awful right now."

"How so? I think your laughter sounds cute." He smiles.

"I-It's not that!" I say quickly, feeling a warm blush slowly creeping up my neck. "I-it just-it seems awful to be laughing when Mikasa just went to help clean up," I add sheepishly, rubbing the back of my neck. "Saying it out loud makes it sound cruel, doesn't it?"

"Maybe just a little."

"Sorry…."

"Nah, it's fine, I'm sure."

"Well, okay…." Seeing this conversation go nowhere, I immediately try to change the subject. "Um...Anything interesting _other_ than Eren facing the trial that's happened while I was gone?"

"Well….." He stops and thinks for a moment. "Not much exciting stuff has happened to my knowledge….besides you going and saving soldier's lives before that Abnormal showed up."

"Really? I would think that there would be someone making it exciting," I muse. "I mean, Sasha really puts her nickname to good use, and I figure Mikasa would be trying to get Eren out of the dungeon underneath the courthouse."

"What? A dungeon?"

" _Literally a freaking dungeon, I kid you not._ The books I read about our judicial system told me that each courthouse each comes equipped with a dungeon, just like fairytale castles." I sigh and shake my head.

"Woah, you're serious." his eyes widen slightly. "Have you read anything else interesting?"

"How do you not remember all those times I snuck into the library?" I say with a laugh. "I think I ended up spending MORE time in there than anyone else. Well, except for maybe you." I add, smiling. "The fiction section had a book series with kids just like me, wings and all. I mean, the color of their wings are different, but still."

"Wow, really?"

"Yeah. The series itself is called Maximum Ride, or Max Ride for short. I'm on the fourth book, The Final Warning. There are nine books in total, and with the dog/human hybrid with the same name 'Total', no pun intended."

"Oh, that's clever. Kind of like Toto from 'The Wizard of Oz', right?"

"Yep. Comedy, Action, some Romance, Evil Empire trying to cage them and put them through experiments-it's got it all. I suggest reading it if you're into stuff like that."

"Sounds amazing. And you also have something to relate to, which is pretty cool."

"Yeah, it is. Have you read any good books lately?"

"There was one about stray cats I've read."

Stray cats, huh!

"Sounds interesting, though I don't think I've ever read it before." I stop and think before asking, "Okay, odd question. Was it boring while I was gone?"

"Very." He cracks a smile at that. "It was getting especially hard once Mikasa learned of Eren's, eh, capture. She wouldn't stop _razzing_ about it."

"Gee, big shock," I say, digging down deep and trying not to roll my eyes. "Had to figure Mikasa was sure to snap at a moment's notice. What about the rest of the 104th? Have you seen any of them around?"

"No, not really. Unless you count Mikasa, but she was already here."

"Not even Sasha? Or even Krista? Hmmm. Strange…..though that's probably because of the mop-up."

Before he can continue, someone new knocks on the door, making me flinch. (As if I hadn't had enough surprises today.) A man with a white coat and a clipboard walks in casually as if he'd been doing it for years, with kind eyes and gentle hands.

He looks up from his clipboard and smiles. "Hi, Yuki. I'm Doctor Philbert Bertington. I was told to come here to check up on you."

"Oh, Hi, Dr. Bertington," I say a little uneasily. "I suppose that would be the case since I'm awake, huh?"

"You could say that," He says with a laugh. "Don't worry, I don't bite. I'm just here to make sure you're feeling okay."

"Well, alright, what do I need to do?" I ask.

He takes out a few tools - y'know, the normal things you'd see at a doctor's office: stethoscope, blood pressure thingy, etc.-before turning back to me. "Can you stand up? I want to be able to test your strength, per say. Can't get back in battle without it."

Well, okay, that's different. I shift perpendicular to the bed and try to stand, and for a few seconds, it seems fine. "Okay, now wh-WOAH!" I exclaim in surprise, my legs caving from underneath me. Almost immediately, I feel Armin scooping me up almost as quickly as I fell.

"You alright, Yuki?" he asks me once I'm standing again.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I guess I just wasn't prepared for it." I laugh nervously.

The doctor laughs too. "Yeah, just as I thought. You haven't been on your feet for a while, so the first time you get up is a surprise. You've managed to recover faster than anyone else, which is interesting enough. Okay, now I just need you to walk over to that chair and sit down so I can check up on you. How have you been feeling?"

"I've been feeling okay," I say, thinking for a minute before sitting down. "Well, except for that encountering-an-Abnormal-thing. Other than that, I feel okay."

"Well, that's good," He agrees. "I bet it's hard not to feel lucky after that. I suppose I should apologize for no medical personnel here but me. We've been pretty busy as is."

"Really?" While he shines a light in my eyes, I add, "Oh. Wait. I guess that there could be a possible epidemic problem, huh?"

"Right on the money." He nods, causing the light to shift a little. "Most doctors and nurses have been scheduled for treating any infections that appear. Other doctors, like me, are checking up on other patients like you, making sure that you're healthy and other aspects like this."

"Okay, okay, that makes sense," Armin says from behind me. "You think she's going to be okay?"

"Hold on, I haven't gotten all the way through with it," Dr. Bertington says, smiling at him. "Though if I could stop now, I would say yes. It's protocol of us doctors, though, sorry."

"No, it's fine. Take your time."

The doctor proceeds with the rest of the exam in silence, once or twice writing things down on his clipboard. He has me jump, do a pull-up, even carrying a box (something tells me they told him specifically to make me do this, har-har.)

Finally, after what seems like forever, and a lot of poking and prodding, Dr. Bertington finishes with the exam, saying, "I'll admit it: this is probably the first time I've dealt with someone as extraordinary as you, Miss Yuki. Not that I've ever met a bird kid before either, heh."

Before I can respond in surprise, he says, "Yeah, I know about that. Of course, they tell you everything they know about the patient. Even the oddities sometimes. Most of the doctors didn't know about you being part bird, so they were baffled at your rate of healing. But if they had bothered to read the papers about the patients, they probably would have known. Too bad they always assume they know what they're doing before actually researching it." He chuckles and shakes his head.

"Uhm, yeah." I laugh a little at that. "Why am I not surprised?"

"So, what do you think? Is she gonna be alright?" Armin interjects, interrupting him.

"Give her some more rest for tonight and by tomorrow she should be released without any stress," Dr. Bertington prescribes, writing some more notes down with a grin. "In all honesty, I would let her out now, but the rest of the doctors wouldn't let me. So to play it safe, that is what I would say. You'll stay overnight, Yuki, but by tomorrow morning you should be released."

"Really?" I say, smiling. _At least I'll be there for Eren's trial thingy,_ I think.

"Yes. Sorry, I can't do it any earlier," he says sheepishly.

"It's no trouble at all," Armin assures him, suddenly pulling me into an embrace. "She's been here for a few days, what's one more night?"

* * *

 **Author note: Ta daaaaaa~**

 **This update is to let you know I have a Tumblr that Yuki is now sharing (LOL.)! Please note that I want to have it as an ask blog, but not very many pictures of a "camera" may appear. Sorry about that. But if you want to check it out, here's the link:**

 **blog/ask-yuki-and-ruby**

 **(PS I know it says "Ruby" there too, but there's an different MLP blog also there in case you're curious! ;-) )**


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Facing Eren's Trial

In case you were curious, it doesn't necessarily work that way for me. I know what you're thinking: 'Oh, you just woke up Yuki, how can you say something like that?!' And yeah, you'd be right on the money with that statement. However, given the circumstances, once everyone leaves, you'll find that it becomes _exceedingly_ boring, leaving me to my worries, thoughts, and other senses all to myself in this room.

I wish I _had_ brought a book to read, now that I think of it.

It feels like forever-hours, probably-before I finally fall asleep (Though what with the usual nightmares every so often, I've been generally nervous to actually sleep). Tonight, however, no dreams nor any nightmares present themselves, leaving me to sleep dreamlessly until something-or more accurately, some _one_ -shocks me awake, making me bolt upright in the infirmary bed.

"Yuki, you're awake," Mikasa says, from off one of the sides of the bed. It's said as a statement, not a question.

"Apparently so," I respond without missing a beat, cracking a weak smile. "I'm guessing whether we like it or not, we've got to go to that trial thing, huh?"

"Yup." She sounds very unenthused. "Let's just get ready and get it over with."

I guess it should have come as no surprise to see someone I didn't recognize once Mikasa and I finally got out of there (it took the doctors long enough just to finish some ungodly amount of paperwork _just_ so I can leave), but I'm beyond surprised when I see a higher ranking soldier waiting with Armin outside. I turn to Mikasa in confusion.

"Let's just say Armin and I were rudely interrupted from our thoughts by him and a couple other higher-ups," Mikasa explains quietly with a shrug. "I mean, we _knew_ that Eren was going into a trial today, but...eh. It sounded like they thought we didn't."

"I suppose it was information we _weren't_ supposed to know until today," I sigh, agreeing with her. "And as much as I'd like to argue, I swear that will send me to an early grave."

"No kidding." She then stares evenly at the Garrison Soldier. "That's all of us. We can go now."

"This is Yuki?" he asks, looking at me. Without waiting for a response, he adds, "Well, I suppose I shouldn't get too much into it since I know that she'd know who you are." He writes a few things down on his clipboard. "Alright, listen up. The orders I've been given are not something that I all agree with, but unless I want to ALL of us fired, I'm going to have to follow them. Are we clear on that?"

After seeing us all nod, he unclips something from the top of his clipboard and shuffles some papers around before continuing. "According to the orders given here, it is permissible to quietly chat on the way to the courtroom, but as soon as we get there, talking is prohibited unless you are spoken to by the judge, who in this case is Darius Zackly, Commander-in-Chief for all regiments. This is a trial that he will preside over concerning the fate of Eren Yeager. You are eyewitnesses, so it is likely that he will ask you questions, and as this is in a courtroom within the public eye, you are obligated to tell the truth. Understood?"

Another nod, except this time I also add, "A question, if I may, sir?"

"Yes, go ahead." As he says this, he gestures for us to follow him.

"I've only just woken up yesterday from my injuries, so I can't say I'm fully aware of everything, but is this trial supposed to be a cross-examination of sorts?"

At this, he chuckles. "No, unfortunately, this isn't going to be your run-of-the-mill trial. Because of what most of the Military Police think of your little Titan friend-" he grimaces at the thought of the MP "-And due to the unprecedented atmosphere, this trial won't be normal. As such, it will most likely make the headlines in the newspapers and cause a bit of unrest in the public."

"I can see why, too," Armin says for the first time that morning. "A Titan on our side? It's an absurd thought. No one would dare believe it."

"Exactly," the Garrison agrees. "Once that information gets to the public-as it will inevitably do-nothing more will become more talked about, at least for a few weeks, a month tops."

Mikasa leans in closer to me. "Not very likely. At the very most, it'll take half a year before they stop talking about it," she hisses to me. "Not that I'm making any bets or anything."

I don't respond, partially because I know she's right and partially because I don't want the soldier to catch on. It stays silent for a few minutes of walking, each of us seemingly lost in our own thoughts. I watch the other pedestrians-most of the peaceful public out for a regular day of gossip-and none of them appear to know about either the trial or of Eren's Titan-shifting capabilities. If anything, the only ones who know about it are the interior and the military. When I see them looking at me, I look away, embarrassed and maybe a little angered at the thought of the interior getting the information, however second-handed it might be.

Still lost in my thoughts, I barely register someone saying my name and grabbing my arm. "Hey. Yuki. Yuki? Come back to reality."

I turn rather violently to discover the source of the call, only to find Mikasa and Armin giving me a concerned look.

Before they have a chance to say anything, I give them a reassuring smile. "I know what you're thinking. Yeah, I might not have fully recovered yet, but it's enough so the doctors decided to rid themselves of me. Hell, for all I know I might not _ever_ be completely recovered. Either way, I feel fine. Besides, we're supposed to be worrying over Eren, not me."

"Just because we _need_ to worry about Eren right now doesn't mean we can't worry about others," Armin tell me (And yes, I admit he has a point).

"I know that, and I swear on my life I'm _fine_ ," I insist, not willing to cave in.

Another worried glance in my direction, and then more awkward silence despite the permission to talk quietly.

Finally, _finally_ , after at least another four minutes of dead silence, the Garrison soldier speaks up. "We're here. As much as I don't like the rules given to you, We have to follow them if you want to watch the entire proceedings. Understood?"

"Yes, sir," we say as one unit.

"Good." And with that, he opens the door inside to the courthouse.

Inside, the room is even more silent than the walk over, since there were civilians mingling and talking amongst themselves. In the courtroom, no one is speaking because of the gravity of the decisions that will be going on in this room. I don't think anyone can really handle the weight; you could hear a pin drop in this room. We find the spot we are assigned to-in today's court proceedings, that's near another Garrison soldier from the day we sealed in Wall Rose-and stay standing, waiting for when Eren arrives and when the judge arrives shortly after to start the trial. Until that happens, I spend the time looking around the room to get to know who will determine what he does.

First, there are the people on our side (literally and figuratively): The Garrison Regiment _and_ the Scout Regiment. Other than Armin, Mikasa, and I, these are the ones who want to keep Eren alive because they believe him to be a valuable asset to the fate of humanity. Then there are the ones opposing us: The Military Police and some other civilians from the interior. A few are clothed in robes and some kind of necklace that bears the three walls' insignia; I guess these to be followers of a church that seems to be growing popularity, yet I have no idea what or why they stand the way that they do. Then there are the ones up on the balcony watching the scene. Given that these are more Scout soldiers and other higher-ups in the military; I would say their stance is neutral except the Scouts. The higher ranking soldiers know about what the interior's plans are as well as the ones in favor of Eren's life, but they haven't said a WORD on what they stand for in this trial.

After that, there isn't really anyone else that is here. The normal law just doesn't seem to apply in these circumstances. Come to think of it, these laws don't really apply to a girl with wings, now, does it?

Watching absentmindedly without giving much not thought, I feel a poke at my shoulder. I turn to face Rico Mitabi, the soldier working in the strategy to retake Trost District.

"You can still talk quietly, you know," Mitabi hisses through her teeth. "Just not when the Judge is here. Glad to see you're up and walking about, Kurosaki."

"T-thanks," I stutter out in surprise. "I'm shocked that I don't have lasting nightmares from that mission alone."

She chuckles half-heartedly. "Isn't that the truth in this job." She glances over at Armin and Mikasa with a sidelong glance. "Everyone has at least some scarring moment while in the military. Maybe today, maybe later on in their career. It happens to everyone all the same."

"No kidding." I glance around nervously, almost expecting some kind of adverse reaction. So far, there seems to be none. "Hey, Rico?" I ask.

"Hmm?"

"Uh…" I hesitate, realizing how dumb this next question sounds, but press on anyway. "Do you know where Eren is right now?"

She gives me a look that says, _where have you been recently?_ But before I can explain further, she lets out an exhausted sigh.

"All I know is that he was taken in by the Survey Corps," she says finally. "And even if I did know more, I wouldn't be able to tell you."

Which makes sense, if you think about it. Because Eren is such a potential threat to humanity's existence, keeping him under wraps is likely the best possible "location" to have him until the trial takes place. So, therefore, under that assumption, the exact place that Eren is kept should be confidential to those most important to this predicament in the first place.

Mikasa cuts off my thoughts. "Did I forget to tell you that part?" She says, barely audible. "Sorry."

"Don't be," I whisper back. "Tensions were-and are-pretty high at the moment. Of course, some information would be left out."

"While that's true, they shouldn't be keeping all this information under close quarters," Rico adds. "Especially to the ones who are the closest to him. You of all people should at least know about it."

Unsure of what to say, I stay silent for a few moments. But then a loud clacking of the front doors opening catches my attention, and I look in the direction of the sound.


End file.
